A picture of love....

Today I bought a small puzzle for Kidane to play with on the plane ride home.  Every time I walk by the little boys clothing section I want to pick out something for him.  But I don't buy it.  I want to know what color he likes,  what  style he wants, what kind he likes....  But for now we are still waiting.  

I have been putting together a scrapbook of pictures for Kidane.  We will take it over on our first visit and leave it with him.  I keep thinking of more pictures to add,  his new sisters, his new home, new friends, lots of snow, and pictures of the house, our family eating, our family playing, our family going to church.  Oh so many new things.  I am sure he will feel overwhelmed.  The most important picture I want to give him is one of our hearts.  How do we show him how much we love him in a picture??? 

Time for Celebrating

We did it!  You did it!  We got the news today from Brittany's Hope!  The funds came in!  The matching grant is a reality.  I did my happy dance.  Cassie doesn't like it when I do that.  Funny, when she was little she loved to dance with mommy.  Now she asks me to stop.... Oh how things change as they grow.  But I love every stage!  I can't wait to dance with Kidane. 

The next thing now is to get a court date....

Out of control....

Talked with our social worker today.  Waiting for a court date means waiting, waiting, and more waiting!  She said it looks like we might not get a court date until March!!!!  I pray that we get a date sooner than March!  But God is in control and He knows the end from the beginning.  Again, I am reminded we are not in control and we must learn to trust.  I suppose that is how Kidane will feel when he comes home.  He must learn to trust us, a family he doesn't know.  His life will feel out of control, but in the end he will have a family who loves him.  

Adoption has taught me so much about God.  We have to build that relationship with Him and learn to trust Him; day by day, little by little.  And in the end we will live in Heaven with our forever Father and be a family!!!!!  

Cassie & Carrie are making toddler size quilts to take to Ethiopia with us for the orphanages.  Russell's mom (Grandma Haveman) gave the girls some fabric and it is enough to make 3 quilts!!!  We are going to take two suitcases on our first trip each filled with donations for the orphanage!  I suppose I shouldn't complain about waiting; the girls don't get to meet Kidane until the 2nd trip which is a month after our first trip. 

BUSY WEEK

It's been a busy week.  Especially since the dishwasher quit working!!!  And since Russell didn't quit working.  A water pipe 8 feet underground broke!  It took two very long days to dig down that far and fix it!!!  And the coal boiler went down two nights this week (as usual) once at 4 a.m. and the other at 12:45a.m.  Oh for some sweet uninterrupted sleep!  But we did get the Christmas cards mailed out with lots of help from Cassie and Carrie. 

The fun busy thing we did this week was volunteering at the Salvation Army.  The girls and I worked in the Joy Shop for 4 hours on Wednesday then took a break for a LATE lunch.  After that Cassie & Carrie were bell ringers at the Mall, which gave me time to do a little more Christmas shopping!  The Joy Shop was a great experience, we would do it again.  In case you are wondering what it is let me explain.

You know the Angel Trees in Wal-mart, etc..  The gifts that people purchase are brought to the Salvation Army.  Then a group of volunteers organizes all of them by size, type, etc in a large gymnasium set up sort of like a "shop".  Then parents in the community who would have nothing else, are invited in to go shopping for their children.  We escort them through the "shop" and help them find what they need for their kids.  The joy on some of the faces was very rewarding!!! 

One section in the "shop" had used toys donated from the community.  There were some very nice bikes and other toys, and some JUNK!  It was appalling to see that some people actually donated stuff that was only worth throwing away.  WHY?! 

Another neat happening with our adoption is that we have connected with a family who adopted Kidane's very close friend  back in July.  They have been over in Ethiopia and met Kidane.  They have shared some pictures with us.  It was so exciting!  It made me feel even closer and even more impatient to bring my little boy home!!!  We plan to get the boys together by phone, skype, something....  They have a shared experience being from the same orphanage and are like brothers.  So now we have some new relatives!

And the wait goes on......

More Reading

Well, I haven't posted much lately.  We are just waiting, waiting, waiting.  But then I realized we have a lot to do!  We are going to redo the kids bedrooms, right now our girls each have their own room.  They are going to share the larger bedroom.  Kidane will have the other bedroom which currently has lavender walls, dainty purple curtains, butterflies, etc... you get the idea.  Also, I have been researching on google for Ethiopian recipes.  I am going to experiment with making Injera (a bread).  But first I have to find the grain/flour.  It is made by Bob's Red Mill, the grain is Teff.

We are still working on Amharic words, progress is VERY SLOW!  Carrie, our youngest seems to do the best with the words.  Oh, to be 12 and feel like you can do anything and really you can!  (Philippians 4:13).

Yesterday I received an email with a little 55 page document attached!!!  These instructions are to prepare us for  travel and for what to expect while over there.  I thought we were done with all the homework!  There is always more....  but when we stop learning we stop growing....  I know we have so much more to learn.
Dear Lord, We can't do this without you.  Please give us your strength, your wisdom, your patience and most of all your love.  We can't wait to hold your precious child, Kidane, thank you for giving him to us.  Amen

I am so thankful for the supportive friends & family we have.  We couldn't have come this far without your encouragement!  

Ouch!

It is a beautiful winter wonderland outside.  I wonder what Kidane will think of this weather.  I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees snow for the first time.  I was 17 when I remember seeing it  for the first time.  It was so amazing!  It was in Ontario, Canada.  It was large white flakes, falling straight down, and only 30 degrees outside.  Hmmm, that never happens here in North Dakota. 
Anyway, today was shots day.  We drove through the beautiful, blowing snow to get our travel immunizations.  The biggest baby in the group was myself.  Cassie held my hand while I got my shots.  I couldn't  even look at the needle.  They give me the chills just looking at them.  I admire nurses and I am so thankful for them, I could never do that job.  Kidane is going to have to get his vaccinations when he comes home.  We are pretty sure he has had none in Ethiopia.  We have so much here, so easily available to us.  We have so much protection, it is easy to forget that God is our only real protection. 
Today, I am thankful for a God who is always watching over us, even when we aren't asking for His protection.  I am so thankful He is watching over my little boy,  knowing that God loves Kidane even more than I do helps me have peace while I wait.
 

PAPERWORK, PAPERWORK, PAPERWORK......

Well, if you have been following this blog, sorry for not updating a bit more often.  Every time I think that we are done with paperwork someone wants us to fill out MORE!   We just had to send in papers to the State of North Dakota for an "importation" document.  What??  I asked the same question you probably are right now.  But that is what our state requires before you bring an orphan into the state.  I hate the name of that document, he is a child, not a product!!!   We also had to send an updated homestudy to the US department of Immigration.  And well, I just keep signing, I can't keep it all straight.  But the good news is that one of the forms we had to fill out was for a matching grant!!!
Interestingly, we do not have a money tree in our backyard, if anyone finds one PLEASE let me know.  So, we have prayed and prayed that if God wanted us to do this He would provide a way for this adoption to happen without sending us into huge debt.  And God has answered our prayers!  We have been offered a matching grant from Brittany's Hope Foundation.  If we can raise $2,500 they will match it and provide us with a grant of $5,000 to help with our adoption expenses!!!   Praise God!

If you are interested in donating to help us bring Kidane home then visit our web page at www.brittanyshope.org/seedling/haveman.  All donations are tax deductible.