Court Date

We received word yesterday that we have been assigned a court date....June 10th. We are so excited to be already in that process and are prayerful and hopeful that the process would be quick. We could see our babies by the beginning of July! We are soooo excited and now so busy with preparing for TWINS!!! I am just now realizing the reality of the news and am getting so excited!

I also wanted to quickly share two of the many answered prayers....

1. A simple prayer that I thought impossible after months of jumping at every phone call....I so desired and prayed that I would have a peace on the day of "the call" I didn't want to be so obsessively nervous about getting the call, that I couldn't even enjoy the moment. I can honestly say that I thought that this prayer was unanswerable...but I can gladly report that I wasn't even thinking of "the call" that day (we had just returned from Disney and it was Beau's bday)....it was a wonderful moment and although I was so excited and was crying and had to ask Natalie (our caseworker) to hold a few times while I disciplined our wild kids.....I was so thankful that the Lord had given me His peace and the ability to enjoy every moment!

2. A bigger prayer...I had prayed before we started and throughout these 8 months of waiting that if possible that the Lord would allow our children to be with their birthmother/family for as long as possible. Now if they were in an orphanage I wanted the Lord to rush them to us of course...so I prayed that too. I was very picky and specific in my prayers I guess:) But I deeply wanted the Lord to give their Ethiopian family as much time as possible with them. And the little we know about their story has given me such a beautiful picture of how God answered this prayer. What a gift to me...to see how the Lord answered that prayer. And what a gift to B and Y as they had that precious time. I am just amazed by it all and so thankful for every piece of this journey. And it honestly makes me not "miss" the milestones (first smile, sitting up, etc) we have missed with them....I am so thankful that others got to live those milestones with them. God is so good and in every detail!!!

Another Birthday

Beau here. So our new son B's birthday is today! We just went out to dinner to celebrate his birthday. We took a picture of B and his twin sister Y to the restuarant, so they got to be there. We got a pice of cake with a "1" candle in it, sang "happy birthday" and had whistles. You might be wondering "why didn't you celebrate his twin sister's Y's birthday?" Well they were born about 24 hours apart! So Y's first birthday is tomorrow.

So during my travels to Africa, I have learned how important a name is. In Africa, many people have a story behind their name. I love to ask my friends in Africa to tell me the story behind their names. Looking at the meaning of B and Y's names, I am confident there is a story. We have decided to keep their given names. B's middle name will be Joshua which means "God rescues." Joshua and Caleb were the two faithful spies in the Old Testament, so our son Caleb is really excited about that. Y's middle name will be Ruth which means "friend" or "companion" and paints the picture of "being grafted into a new nation." Ruth was a Moabite who married a Jew who lived in the country of Moab. When her husband died and her mother-in-law's husband died, Ruth moved to Israel with her mother-in-law. She was GRAFTED INTO the nation of Israel and was eventually in the lineage of David and then Christ.

So B and Y will initially share a room in our house, Caleb's current room, so we have spent some time this weekend moving things around the house. It has been a lot of fun.

We had some friends that headed to Addis this morning, so they got to bring a birthday gift to B and Y from us. We are grateful for that.

So now we wait for a court date. I hope it comes soon :)

We are so grateful for the Lord's provision with B and Y, knowing that the timing was as He had planned. We are humbled that He continues to unveil his plan for our life daily, growing us along the way.

I am so very excited right now. This is such a sweet experience, something that is as or more exciting than any other event I have experienced as a father.

Birthday Gift!

Beau here. Today is my birthday. Here is a nice gift. Got the call on referral two hours. Twins, 11 months old, boy and girl. More later. Praising Him...

Losing a tooth

Here is an interview Beau did with Caleb concerning his first tooth falling out...

I am as happy as can be...

"I love being a farmer. I am as happy as can be, " said Caleb while picking strawberries at a local farm. Caleb didn't even know I heard his passing comment or realize how he made his Mommy think about what that simple statement means to me.

Here are recent pictures of some of the few blessings that have made me as happy as can be!


She is the cutest ever...Hannah at her school's "Creation Festival"...she was assigned a star, we made it a ballerina themed star:)

Touring Africa at the zoo...again and again until we get to tour the real deal...hopefully soon!

Little girls with big smiles (petting sting rays at the zoo)

A new family the Lord has brought us....Adiam here who braided Hannah's hair....and her children below....she cooked Ethiopian food for us and gave us a coffee ceremony. She and her family are a wonderful and beautiful gift!

And below...Caleb led our family in some Bible time....I was as happy as can be!

Clean Water Africa PSA

This video did a lot to help my kids see what life is like for many...what life could be like for anyone...

Spirit of Uganda

Beau and I really have fallen in love with the many beautiful cultures in Africa. And while we want to continue teaching ourselves and our children about the great needs in areas of Africa, we also want to make sure that we celebrate the beauty of this continent and its amazing cultures.

Hannah and I went to see the "Spirit of Uganda" perform at Macy's yesterday. You will have to get over the irony that these orphans are dancing before the backdrop of $500 purses...and you need to accept the fact that this video does not begin to capture the VOLUME, energy, and passion we were blessed by yesterday!! Enjoy!!

Waiting Moms

We had a wonderful gathering of DFW families at our house last night. We ate some Ethiopian food, made new friends, and the kids had a blast! It was a wonderful night of encouragement! After we took the above picture of Moms, most of who are waiting to bring their child(ren) home, I really spent time thinking about and praying for the Moms waiting in Ethiopia....

These precious mothers are waiting for their prayers for their children to be answered, waiting for the Lord to respond to their cries for help. During my waiting process one of my constant prayers has been for the family our children have in Ethiopia. I do not know yet if they have been with their family recently or have been in an orphanage. But I have continued to ask the Lord to give these precious children as much time as possible with their family, as many moments as possible with their mother. I never asked the Lord to rush that time...even on these days when I long to hear news of a referral and I long for our children to join our family! While my heart already says I love these children as a mother....I know they will always have two mothers....and my prayers will always be with their family and people in Ethiopia.

So as we continue to wait....I continue to pray as for the Moms in Ethiopia that wait on the Lord too...

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31

Our Princess and Pirate

More Friends Adopting

Beau here. So I mentioned two weeks ago that a couple in our community group, the Butler's, decided to start the adoption process from Ethiopia. So four couples in our community group, and two adopting from Ethiopia. Kind of unusual.

Well, now the Tuckers have decided to jump in as well. Here is their first post outlining how they got to this spot. So four couples in the group and three in the process of adopting. I guess that is kind of unusual...and exciting!

So the last couple....well...Mr. Stanley heads to Burundi with Mr. Butler in July (same town where Tucker and I were last month). Mr. Stanley just doesn't know what God is up to yet! :)

We are so grateful for how the Lord is yoking our community in this uncommon way.

Praying for a call...hopefully soon!