Middle East Crazies

Back in the Saddle

2011-05-06T21:05:00.000+03:00

I am feeling more like blogging these days! So to kick us off here is cute pic of a cute girl!

Wrap Up

2009-12-29T08:15:00.004+03:00

I think it is time to wrap up this blog. I always wondered about people who adopted and then never blogged again. I thought things must have gone terribly wrong for them. But for me, I know that once we had our child home, I seldom have time to sit at the computer and blog. This little person fills up every empty space in my life and its a good thing.

Ella is thriving! She is now 16 months old. She is walking, running, and saying lots of words. She is very smart and can follow simple instructions. She loves to play with her baby dolls and is so sweet to them. She also loves to clean house. She fights me for the Swiffer, so for Christmas she got her own little broom and mop. She gets into everything and hides things like the tv remote in "her" drawer in the kitchen. I often find missing toys etc. in that drawer. She gives hugs and kisses. Seeing her little kissy lips and closed eyes moving in for a kiss is truly the cutest thing. We are completely smitten with her and wonder how we could have been so blessed to parent her.

Since I am not planning on blogging anymore (at least not at this spot) I just wanted leave you with a few recent photos of our girl and encourage you to care for orphans.....whatever that means to you. It could be simply praying, giving money , sponsoring, or even adopting.

Our last day in Ethiopia....and flight home!

2009-11-03T20:23:00.004+03:00

The last day in Ethiopia was filled with shopping, packing, and goodbyes. We spent the morning shopping for things for dresses for Ella. I got several dresses in different sizes. We bought some silver crosses. I bought one for each of my girls. I love shopping in Ethiopia. You can find so many treasures for a small price. I even like bargaining with the shopkeepers..something that I grew accustomed to in Doha.

We then went back to the Layla house for the goodbye party. Every time a child leaves Layla there is a goodbye party. The party is in the cafeteria and all the children from PreK to teens attend. They always start off singing and drumming. It is so moving to hear all the kids singing in unison. They sing Amharic church songs and sing in English. This time they sang "Amazing Grace" in English and I don't think you could have been there and not cried. I always think about the children that stay at Layla for many months and wonder how they feel at the goodbye parties seeing their friends leave to go home to a family. It was really hard for me to tell some of the teenage girls that I love so much that I was there to adopt a baby and not one of them. I am so happy to report that they now both have families. In fact one of them is on facebook and I get to chat with her often. I let the nannies and older girls hold Wubeski and tell her goodbye. Everyone seemed so happy for her and for us.

Not long after the party it was time to go to the airport. Looking back I way overpacked. I think I took a diaper for every hour in transit. At least we were prepared. Joan and I checked in and unfortunately did not have a bassinet seat for the flight from Doha to Dubai, but didn't really need it because the baby was no problem. The flight left at 7:30pm and we were on the same flight with some of other AAI families. Honestly I can't remember a lot about that flight...so it must have been uneventful. I was so grateful to have my sister with me. I don't think I would have done well alone. The layover in Dubai was short and soon we were on the flight to Doha. It was the middle of the night and we were sleepy and tired, but again the flight must have been fine, because I can't remember the details. When we arrived in Doha, we were greeted by the Al Maha service at the plane and were taken to a lounge where we waited several hours for Bill and the kids to arrive. The lounge was a welcome sight and we pulled up chairs to make makeshift beds and slept. Joan has a funny picture of me sleeping posted above. It illustrates the exhaustion we were feeling. I think Joan got a shower, but I slept the whole time. The entire time the baby was Perfect. She was a great traveler.

Early that morning, Bill and the kids arrived at the airport and we were all reunited. It was so good to see them. The kids were so happy to have their little sister with them at long last. We were able to stay in the Qatar Airways lounge until time for our flight. Bill's boss was also there for another flight and she got to meet the baby.

Soon after, we were checking in for our flight to the Houston. As we were getting our boarding passes, Bill shocked me with news that we were moving, probably back to Texas. This memory is seared in my mind. So many changes. A new baby...and now repatriating back to the US. Little did we know that the entire summer would be spent wondering if we were moving and where we were moving and when we were moving. Ultimately, we didn't know for sure until 2 weeks before we would have returned to Doha. I finally reached the point of completely trusting God to direct our paths. HE had led us and protected us and loved us for my first 40 years, surely we could trust him with the years to come.

Our adoption of Ella complete, I am amazed at the miracle of it all. She is a wonderful addition to our family. She is exactly what we needed. As a whole we tend to be a little too serious and she has brought an amazing light and joy to us. She has an effect on everyone who meets her. She smiles and laughs easily. She talks to strangers...with a sweet "Hi" to everyone she meets. We all are completely in love with our baby!

And as for Ethiopia...I have no doubt that I will be going back. Back to do what I can to help those in need and back to show Ella the beautiful country that is her home.

Day 4 in Ethiopia

2009-10-08T03:32:00.003+03:00

Joan babysat Ella while I was at the airport straightening out my cargo problem.

This is one of the guards at the guesthouse. We gave him an ExxonMobil cap and he loved it. He is so sweet with all the children.

Mekdalawit kept Ella this night so Joan and I could go out to dinner.

The cargo...the van is full of boxes too.

This was the most frustrating day I had in Ethiopia. I had sent tons of donations to Ethiopia by cargo when our whole family went at the end of April to visit Ella. Unfortunately the donations did not make it before we had to return in Doha. So bright and early Thursday morning I set out with a driver in a van to go to the cargo place at the airport and collect the donations. Joan stayed with baby Ella and took extra good care of her while I spent hours at the airport getting the cargo. The bright spot in the whole affair was a great macchiato I got at a cafe in the cargo terminal of the airport. I ended up having to pay lots of money since they had to store my items for so long. In the end, I successfully collected the donations...after going through a multi-step process, which includes the inspectors digging through your stuff and then stuffing it back in your containers.

Joan and I had planned to go out that night to an authentic Ethiopian restaurant, but after the long day I had we decided to just go to a local cafe near the guest house, Caribo. I had invited our driver to go to the restaurant to Ethiopian restaurant with us and serve as a guide. I didn't figure he would go with us to the Caribo restaurant. To my surprise he did and we ended up enjoying his company very much. He told us the story of how he met his wife and it was very sweet.

Wubeski stayed with Mekdalawit, the manager of the guest house while we were out and was sleeping when we got back. Mekdalawit is just one of the amazing young women that works for AAI.

The next day would be our last in Ethiopia.

Day 3 Embassy Day

2009-09-09T05:41:00.003+03:00

Ella doesn't seem too concerned about the embassy interview. She slept on the drive to the Embassy.

On our way to the appointment.

One of the sweet friends we met at the guest house. She and her husband and two children were there adopting an older boy.

I wanted to document our days in Ethiopia before I forget all the details. On Day 3, we decided Ella needed to see the doctor so we walked to Wanna. The doctor confirmed that she had an ear infection and gave her a prescription antibiotic. We hung around Wanna house and took pictures of some of the waiting babies.

Suddenly it was time to go to the Embassy interview, where we would be given the visa for Ella to enter the US. We ended up having to rush to catch the van back to the guest house and Joan ran into the guest house to get supplies (diapers, etc) for the trip to the Embassy. The funniest thing , she slipped right as she was going into the guest house and wiped out, but it didn't hurt her and she got up laughing. I know one day when we tell this story to Ella she will appreciate her Aunt Joan sacrificing her body to get her baby stuff for her.

We piled into the van with the other families and together we all went to the US Embassy in Addis Ababa. We had to go thru all the typical security and baggage check to get inside and silly me, I let them keep Ella's diaper bag at check in. We ended up having to go ask for it back when she needed a diaper change.

We all waited in a holding room with people from our agency and other agencies. AAI definitely had the most families there. I think there were 9 families. Our families were some of the first called and the first 2AAI families came back from the interview with sad faces. Due to missing information their children were not granted visas. This made all of us a little nervous.

When our name was called, we walked with Gail upstairs to interview with an embassy employee at a window. As we were walking, I asked Gail what they would be asking us and she said it was too late to ask that now~thanks Gail.

We were interviewed by a nice, young man who only asked three questions. Was this the baby we were expecting? When Gail told him we were an IR3 case, we had to show proof of our pre court visit to Ethiopia where we first met Wubeski. He asked "What happened to the child's parents?" and if we knew anything about how she was found.

The funniest thing that happened during the interview, was that he asked if the man in our photos from our "visit" trip was my husband, and I was all nervous and said "yes, he's the daddy" He was a little confused and thought I was saying Bill was my daddy. We all had a chuckle about that and it really lightened up the otherwise serious moment.

The whole interview only took 3 minutes and we went back to the holding room with big smiles. Ella was granted a visa to enter the US and everything would be ready to pick up on Friday.

All the other families sailed thru the Embassy appointments and we learned later that day that the first two cases were also granted visas when Gail was able to get the needed information. Everyone in the guest house was relieved that evening. All our children were coming home to the US.

We spent the evening visiting with the other families and thoroughly enjoyed being together. Even with her ear infection, baby Ella was just perfect and sweet!

Photos for you!

2009-09-02T20:54:00.004+03:00

Our crazy summer!

2009-09-02T20:43:00.004+03:00

This is a letter I sent to my Bible Study group updating them on our lives. I hope to finish posting about Ethiopia soon and get back to blogging!

Dear sweet friends,

I just got home from Bible Study at my new church. It really made me miss all of you. We are doing the Ester study again. You are a very special group of women and you all mean so much to me. Thanks so much for all the love and prayers during the adoption of little miss Ella.

Most of you probably know by now that we are not coming back to Doha. Bill told me when we met him in the airport on the way home from picking up Ella Grace that we were moving to Houston. What a surprise! We later found out that the job would eventually move us first to Australia (we were happy) and then to Papau New Guinea. Because there are no schools for our older children in PNG, Bill ended up turning that job down.

The plan was for us to stay in Doha until December and then move on to his new job (where ever that might be). Two weeks before we were to travel back to Doha, Bill called and said he was offered a job in Sabine Pass, Texas. There is a new LNG plant starting up there. The job was actually a blessing because we had not been able to get Ella a US passport and she was denied automatic citizenship upon entering the US because we were living overseas. Up to this point we were unsure how we were going to get her into Doha.

We thought initially that he would be working out of Houston, and we would be returning to live in the Woodlands Texas. A few days later, we found out we needed to live near Sabine Pass, Texas. Sabine Pass is a tiny town that was nearly blown away by Hurricane Ike. Only 5 houses remained livable after this hurricane. It feels like coming home to me, since I grew up in Southeast Texas in the small town of Spurger, which is only about an hour from where we will be living. My mom is thrilled that we will be so close.

I had two weeks to figure out where we would living and what schools our children would be attending. I believe God led me to a nearby small town. It is a rural community outside of Beaumont, Texas. The school district actually serves 4 communities. The schools are highly rated and have alot of school spirit. It is funny, I remarked to my sister while we were in Ethiopia that someday I would like to live in a town like the one portrayed on Friday Night Lights where everyone goes to the football games on Friday nights and that is exactly the kind of place we are living. I have a sister and niece living here. We are living with my sister until we close on a home. It is working out really well. We have a contract on a house, and are waiting now for the appraisal.

The kids have started school and like it. It is a huge change from ASD. There are a lot more rules to follow. Cole, our 8th grader, is playing football for the first time. It has been fun for him to learn a new sport. Abbey is hoping to take horse riding lessons. Will is just happy to tend his farm on Farmville (a facebook game) but I suspect he will play soccer when it rolls around.

We are still waiting on Daddy to come home. He is supposed to arrive mid Sept, right around the time we will close on the house (god willing).

Ella is doing amazingly well. She is a HAPPY, healthy baby girl. She will be one year old tomorrow, but they goofed on her birth certificate and made her birthday Nov. 3. We will wait and celebrate then. She has been a JOY to our family. She is pulling up everywhere and I hope she waits for Bill to get here to take her first steps. When we go out she smiles and waves and says "HI" to everyone. She sleeps good, which is nice for this tired mama. She says "mom", "bye bye" "hi doggie" She really is the sweetest baby girl! I wish you could meet her. If you are in Texas next summer or over Christmas, please contact us and we will get together.

I just wanted to fill all of you in...I pray for God richest blessings on you today!

Much love, Lynn

Ethiopia Day 2: Day trip to Adama

2009-07-19T08:52:00.022+03:00

Seen in and around Adama.

We were picked up early in the morning by a driver and an AAI social worker to go to Adama, also known as Nazret. This is the place where Ella's story began. We wanted to go there and get as much information as possible for her to have as she grows.

On the way to Adama, we stopped to eat breakfast at a restaurant on Lake Bishoftu. It was a beautiful, serene place...very calm and peaceful. We ordered french toast and Joan and I agree, it was the best french toast we've ever eaten

After breakfast we drove to Adama, which is in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. It is a desert, but not exactly like the deserts in Qatar. Not as sandy...just dry. It is a big city with lots of businesses and activity going on, not unlike Addis. We went to the hospital in Adama that cares for abandoned children and met two young women that cared for her when she was first brought there. One of them was the person that named our sweet baby, Wubeski. I asked what her name meant, because we haven't been able to find out for sure. It is an unusual name. She said it means "Who is beautiful like you?" Such a fitting name for our beautiful baby. We still call her Wubeski a lot of the time.

This young woman (Meskerem) spent most of the day with us. She helped carry Wubeski and loved on her. I could tell that she really cares about the babies and children that are brought into the hospital care center.

When we left Adama, we went to Sodere, which is a hot springs resort area in Ethiopia. There are also lots and lots of monkeys roaming wild and free around the area. It is strange, as I had only seen monkeys in cages before. We walked through the resort area, among all the monkeys and saw the hot springs pools. We had our lunch here and drove back home.

We found out some information about Wubeski's story, most of which will remain untold. It is her story to tell if she wants to when she is old enough to understand it. I wish we had been able to find out more.

Ella was so good on the long drive and slept a lot, but she was also a little feverish and we began to think she had an ear infection (which was later confirmed by the doctor at Wanna)

Back at the guest house we spent time getting to know the other families that were staying there. We would stay up late at night talking and laughing until the wee hours of the morning.

Ethiopia Day 1

2009-07-16T08:07:00.006+03:00

Wanna House-the baby house

The moment we see you!

Aunt Joan thinks you are so special!

Our home for the week!

Hmmm...what to do with all this luggage!

On June 15, my sister and I left in the wee hours of the morning to fly to Dubai and then on to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to finally bring home our baby daughter, Ella Grace Wubeski Collins. We were so excited that it didn't really matter that we were leaving in the middle of the night. The first leg of the journey we were in economy, but when we checked in at Dubai we were told we had been upgraded to business class. I was so happy, because I knew we would need a good sleep before we picked up our girl.

We arrived in Ethiopia at 11:30am and were picked up by a taxi sent by AAI. It was pretty funny watching the driver and the unofficial "porters" that lurk around the airport load all our luggage in the tiny little taxi. They managed to somehow get it loaded. We had 4 big bags full of donated blankets and our two carry ons. We labored over getting the carryons under the weight restrictions and in the end they were still a little over. But at the airport in Doha, the baggage checker asked if he could pick up Joan's bag and we both cringed until he said, "Your bag is so light, most woman have heavier bags."

We drove straight to the Ritmo guest house. It was a very busy place. Every room was full of traveling families and their children. There are 7 guest rooms and they were all packed. Our room was the last one left and the smallest. It had one big bed that almost filled the room and luckily some narrow shelves at the end of the bed, which came in handy.

We took a minute to get freshened up and went to Layla and Wanna House (AAI's transition home) When we got there, I led us straight to Wanna house. On hindsight I probably should have checked in at the front office but I didn't think about it since I knew the way. We walked into the baby house and there she was! She was sitting in a bouncy seat, surrounded by friends of mine from our yahoo group who were there to pick up their babies. She was just sitting there looking us over and it took a little while for her to warm up to us and give us an amazing smile. From that moment she was with us the rest of the time. It felt so good and right for her to be in my arms.....this little person that God knew would be our daughter.

We eventually got a ride back over to the Ritmo guest house and spent some time playing with her and loving her. I can't remember eating that day or much of anything else. Only that Gail dropped by and when I gave her our paperwork she said that we needed something notarized. Poor Daddy in Doha had to scramble to get a paper notarized and faxed to Gail by Wednesday morning. In the process, he missed a really big presentation that he had been working on for weeks. Adoption is not easy. We were reminded again!

She slept between us on the big bed that first night and she was so still. It was like she was afraid to move. When she would wake up it would take a minute for her to adjust to her new surroundings. She was quick to accept us and love us though. Sweet, brave baby girl!

Beach baby

2009-07-10T06:21:00.005+03:00

We are spending a week at the beach before daddy/hubby has to go back to Doha. It has been a fun week. Ella G. loves the water and sand! She is a very happy baby! Tonight we went out to eat pizza and she was waving at everyone in the restaurant. When we first met her a few weeks ago, she was so quiet...now, she "talks" all the time. Before we even left Ethiopia, Joan taught her to wave "bye-bye" , now she waves and say's "bye-bye" She says "mama", but not always directed toward me. She plays "peek-a-boo" and claps her hands. If we say pat a cake, she will start clapping. She army crawls on her tummy to get from place to place.

Yes, we think she is amazing!

Life Just Got Busier

2009-07-08T23:27:00.008+03:00

We are home and safe and everything is going really, really well. My sister and I had a wonderful trip to Ethiopia. I seriously think it may be one of the best weeks of my life. There were times of intense happiness and other times we would just cry! Joan was the perfect travel companion and took care of us so well. She helped out with every detail and Ella thinks she has two mommies. Hopefully, I can go back and write more details about our time in Ethiopia (amazing!) but for now here are some photos to hold you over. Most of these are the first day we were together.

Leaving in two hours~

2009-06-14T23:13:00.003+03:00

We are leaving in two hours to go to Ethiopia. Prayers appreciated!

My big kids were so sweet today. Will is sad to see us go, but he is so happy that Wubeski (Ella) is coming home and understood. He told me over and over how much he loves me and that me would miss me forever. Cole and Abbey have been sweet and affectionate too. Poor Bill has had to work almost all weekend. I am so glad Joan is here to help me get ready and to go with me.

Our driver picks us up at 1am to go to the airport...not the most ideal flight, but anything for her. We arrive in Ethiopia at 11:30 am tomorrow. We will have a layover in Dubai.

Must get a little sleep before we take off~

Joan in Doha

2009-06-14T21:51:00.004+03:00

The Old Pearl Diver

Souq Waqif

In front of our villa

At Villagio Mall

Will - the bell hop

Welcome to Doha

Abbey the Receptionist

Waiting

Joan is here

On the Way to pick up Joan

We were soooooo excited to go pick up Joan at the airport. We waited and waited for her to come out the doors. These are pictures of her arrival and checking into the Collins hotel. Abbey was the receptionist and Will the bell hop. The next day we went to the souq (market) and

2009-06-13T06:52:00.001+03:00

The first thing Abbey said this morning "This time next week she will be with us forever."

We leave in the wee hours of the morning on Monday to fly to Ethiopia. We arrive in Ethiopia at 11:30am and we will be picked up and driven to the guest house. We will get to see her right away and from that time forward she will be our daughter in every sense.

There really are no words to describe how we are feeling right now.

We love you baby girl!

The Collins Hotel

2009-06-13T06:33:00.002+03:00

Last night, my sister arrived in Doha around 7pm after a long flight. She did great! She said she slept on the flight and she was wide awake and ready to go! My kids were so excited to see her. We seriously thought that we would not ever have any visitors here in Doha.

We took her to eat at one of our favorite places, Turkey Central Restaurant, for some great Arabic food.

We drove her around to see the town.

Then we came home and she "checked in" to the Collins hotel. The kids had set up a check in desk and labeled the doors with numbers. Abbey checked her in and Will handled the baggage. She was given a tour of the hotel. Abbey made her a welcome basket with things she might need and some homemade brownies.

They were so cute and it was one of those times....their sweet spirits were shining through.

Cole's 13th Birthday Party

2009-06-10T21:03:00.004+03:00

After Abbey's Step Up (below) we celebrated Cole's 13th birthday. I picked up 11 of his friends and we went to Chili's to eat lunch (Tuesday is a half day at ASD) I had to arrange for a driver to help haul all of them around town. The boys were so good at Chili's. Then we came back to our home for swimming! 12 boys can be pretty rowdy in a pool, but we made it with only one bloody nose. After swimming for a couple of hours we came home for cake and a little gaming. It was a fun birthday and I love this age! Happy Birthday to my favorite teenager~

Stepping Up

2009-06-10T20:26:00.004+03:00

Abbey's teacher- Mr. Dodge

friends

Crazy mamas

Abbey's class- there were 3 Abbey's in her class.

Sweet girls

Abbey stepped up to middle school at the American School of Doha Step-Up Ceremony. The 5th graders sang "You've Got a Friend" and "I Believe I Can Fly" and there was a terrific slide show. After was a reception with big chocolate chip cookies and coffee for the parents. It was good to be together one more time before everyone heads out this summer. We are so proud of our new middle school girl!

Last week~

2009-06-07T21:33:00.003+03:00

It's our last week of school and we are soooo excited! Not a whole lot of work going on these last few days. This morning Will was so tired, I let him play hooky!

Tomorrow his class is going on a field trip to the ice skating rink and tomorrow is Cole's 13th birthday. I can't believe Cole is a teenager and I am the parent of a teenager. We were so happy today to hear that he was accepted into the National Junior Honor Society! Way to go, buddy!

Tuesday is Abbey's step up ceremony. She is leaving elementary school and moving on up to middle school. It is a really special celebration and ASD makes a huge big deal of it for the kids! The 5th graders get all dressed up and it's like a mini-graduation! Yay, Abbey!!!!

Tuesday afternoon (the kids get out at 12:30) we are celebrating Cole's birthday at Chili's restaurant and then coming home for a swim party!!

Wednesday, the whole 5th grade is spending the day at the Intercon Hotel swimming at the pool and beach.

Wednesday, the 7th grade is having an all day Survivor game at school. I am helping out with this. Should be fun!

Thursday...the LAST DAY of SCHOOL! I will be helping out in Will's class this morning with a little goodbye party! The kids get out at 12:30 and SUMMER BEGINS in Doha!

Friday...my sister arrives from the US and she and I will get ready for our trip to Ethiopia to pick up our little peanut! We got a new picture of her today! We also found out her birthday...it's September 3, so she is already 9 months old!

Yay for summer!

The Day They Met

2009-06-05T19:02:00.002+03:00

This is the first time Bill and the kids ever laid eyes on Wubeski! They were smitten!

TRAVEL APPROVAL!!

2009-06-04T08:19:00.003+03:00

We've got it!

We are going to Addis Ababa on June 15 and will have our Embassy interview on June 17 (my sister's birthday)!

Just wanted to give God all the Glory!

For the Record

2009-06-03T17:37:00.002+03:00

We were copied on an email from the Embassy in Addis to our in country director that they have our visa approval. Yay hoo! Hallelujah!!

But, just to keep us all in suspense a little longer, it says our fingerprints expire on June 17, which is the very day we are supposed to have our Embassy interview and I suppose the day we get Ella's exit visa!

Can't wait to see how this will all play out! Just waiting for the office to open in Port Angeles, Washington so I can call and see how this affects us!

Adoption is not for the faint at heart! And a big thank you to all you pray-ers out there! Especially my sweet college roommate Courtney, who is going through her own adoption adventure!

Ella's Baby Shower

2009-06-03T11:28:00.004+03:00

Abbey holding up some of her favorites.

Blankets for the children at Layla House...we collected 50 blankets at the shower!

Now we are ready......Ella has a pink kitty purse!

Look at this adorable cake made by my friend, Susan.

I have the smartest, craftiest friends. Check out the cute diaper cake Gayla made!

Ella Grace was showered with gifts yesterday!

It was an amazing site! There were so many of my friends there from all the different circles of my life. I have my young friends with children the age of Ella that are welcoming me with open arms into their MOPS group. I had my bible study leaders and groupies....that have prayed with me so faithfully for our family. There are certain people who before the adoption I didn't know well, but have been soooo supportive and interested in our journey...and they were there. I even had two grandmas there....they are here visiting there daughters and were so sweet to come. For a lot of my friends it had been a long time since they had been to a baby shower. We had a ball...playing games, eating yummy food, and visiting! The decorations were darling!

My sweet friends that hosted the shower have been such a blessing to me. They really are so special to me and it makes me all teary eyed just to think about them.

My kiddos were so excited to see all of Ella's gifts. Will almost single handedly unloaded the car and then he and Abbey sorted everything and displayed it in the living room for Daddy to see when he got home.

I overheard Will tell Abbey it was "overwhelming" and Abbey commented "Mom, your friends just went too far!" when she saw the pink sparkly converse high top shoes. Ms Kim even packed up a bag of goodies especially for my big kids and they loved it that she thought of them.

It was an extravagant display of love and affection for a little girl that right now is sitting in an orphanage and has no idea what is waiting for her! Just makes me think of how much our Father loves us and desires to bless us!

Visa update...

2009-06-03T11:10:00.002+03:00

nothing...nada...zilch...

We still haven't gotten a confirmation from the AMERICAN embassy that they have our visa approval. I have called them and emailed them. Our agency has called them and emailed them. Short of me going there and just crying in front of them, I do not know what else we can do.

The funny thing is....I just know the visa approval is there. I did go ahead and make travel arrangements to go to ET. They will hold the reservation for 5 days. Hopefully by then we will know something.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated. But, I have to keep everything in perspective. She is legally our daughter and we will get to go get her sooner than later. I just read this on the Embassy website "All Ethiopian adoptions are full and final and irrevocable under Ethiopian law." Yep, she is ours!

Lord, I trust you! You know the perfect timing for her to be united with her new family. Help me to be patient and not fret and worry. Help me to be all there for the sweeties that are here with me right now. I know you love Ella Grace way more than we do and are entirely able to take care of her.

Funny story...this morning I was walking on our freshly mopped tile and I totally slipped down and did a slow motion awkward splits and landed flat on my face....literally laid out with my nose a centimeter from the floor. (ask my friend Terri, she witnessed it and I am sure it was the funniest thing she has seen all year)

I was thinking that is exactly where God wanted me. Totally dependent on him and recognizing that he is God and he alone is in control and that he loves me ( he did keep me from breaking anything :)

Piano Recital

2009-06-03T11:02:00.003+03:00

Our oldest son has been taking piano lessons for a couple of years now and he performed at his piano recital on Saturday night. I just wanted to say in writing how proud we are of him. He is one of those kids who actually really enjoys playing the piano. I love to hear him play. I can tell he uses it as an outlet and we will often hear him playing late at night or early in the morning before school. Thankfully our piano has a volume control.

I have never played an instrument and don't even know how to read music, so I am in awe of him. I always joke with him that all the girls love a guy that can play the piano.

Hopefully, I will be able to post a video of him playing (mostly so his aunts and uncles can hear!)

No Visa Approval

2009-05-29T12:21:00.005+03:00

We still have no confirmation that the embassy in Addis has our visa approval!

It was mailed way back in October and is probably lost in the bottom of a pile of papers somewhere at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa. It was emailed again on Wednesday. We didn't get an answer on Thursday and they are closed today.

I am ready to go there and find it myself! Or call our US ambassador and ask him to call the ambassador in Ethiopia! Maybe I will just call Obama and get him involved.

Or maybe I will just wait....

Which is really all I can do today?

The thing I have to remember is it will get there, in the right hands, eventually. It might delay things a bit, but we know the visa approval exist. We have a copy of it! We have trusted God's perfect timing, so why stop now.

She will come home to us...

Travel plans

2009-05-28T07:11:00.004+03:00

Yesterday, our immigration office emailed a new copy of the missing approval letter to Addis. We still don't have confirmation from them, but we are going to move ahead with our travel plans because we like living on the edge..ha ha

The plan is for my sister to fly to Doha and go with me to Addis. Trying to coordinate flights for her to Doha, for the two of us to Addis, for the 3 of us back to Doha from Addis and then for all of us (kids, hubby, sister and me) back to the USA! I must say my husband is brilliant when it comes to these types of things!

It is just a little over two weeks until we travel to pick up Ella!

We have a jam packed two weeks...it is the last two weeks of school, so lots of fun activities.

And it is HOT here...it has been 117 degrees...probably hotter these last few days, so we are all ready to get to Texas for some cooler weather...

One More Thing...

2009-05-26T23:38:00.003+03:00

I just got an email that our visa approval is not at the American Embassy in Addis Ababa, where it should be.

I will have to call the CIS (immigration) in Athens, Greece where we filed our visa application and ask them to RESEND it.

So, just when you thought you could stop praying for us.....we need you!

We need them to resend the approval form and do it FAST!

The Good News...we are scheduled tentatively for a JUNE 17 embassy appointment, which means in THREE weeks we will get to bring Ella Grace HOME!

WE PASSED COURT TODAY!

2009-05-25T21:39:00.003+03:00

We are officially parents of Ella Grace Wubeski Collins. We love you baby girl and can't wait to bring you home.

Just wanted to thank all of you for praying for us! Our God is awesome and answers prayers! We have seen quite a few answered around here this week!!!

It's May 25!

2009-05-25T16:32:00.002+03:00

Today is the day!

In fact, more than likely the judge has already heard our case and has already decided. It is 4:33 in Doha and in Addis Ababa. But, it is only 6:33am in Washington state, where our agency is located. I guess we will have to wait until they wake up to get our news.

Yesterday was good! I could feel that someone was praying for me. I got so much done off my stressed list. I even slept last night. I think we went to bed before 10pm and slept all night. Ahhhh...peace!

Today has been great! I spent the morning with friends shopping in the souqs (traditional market) in Doha. I have managed to stay prayerful, and not fretful about our court appointment.

Now, I am ready to hear some news...but no news yet. Not even a hint.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

I need Africa..

2009-05-25T05:28:00.001+03:00

Update!

2009-05-24T13:09:00.003+03:00

Got an email and one of the families that was being deported is mysteriously no longer being deported.

Just wanted to say a little HALLELUJAH!

They are our awesome youth leaders and we need them here!

The Real Deal

2009-05-24T00:02:00.001+03:00

Stressed!

2009-05-23T23:34:00.003+03:00

I am beginning to feel like the title of this blog is appropriate! Things are a little bit crazy for me right now.

In just two days a judge will hear our case for Ella Grace! Sometimes families don't pass and for a long time I worried uselessly about us not passing! That worry has given way to peace (the peace that passes understanding) and I know whatever the outcome God ultimately has a plan. Not passing only means your case will be rescheduled and heard again with whatever problems corrected. Now, I don't want another day to go by without our baby girl, but it ultimately is in God's hands and I trust him.

I think if I list all the things that are worrying me right now...I can give them to God and get to sleep, so here goes...

1. I still have lots of donations sitting in cargo storage in Ethiopia. They didn't come in when we were there in April and I haven't been able to make arrangements for them to be picked up by anyone else. Just sent an email about this to the cargo people, so I feel a little better about the situation.

2. I need to get my doggy groomed before I leave for Texas. It is just something I tend to put off. On my list to call tomorrow.

3. Have to finish up a photo collage for Abbey's 5th grade step up ceremony.

4. Desperately need a pedicure! (don't laugh...it is serious)

5. Need to talk with Will's teacher about the end of year party. I'm the room mom. Plan end of year party!

6. Found cute house to rent near my Mom this summer (thanks, God). Now need some furniture to put in cute house.

7. Need to pack!

8. Challenging to keep kiddos motivated these last few weeks of school.

9. Feeling pressured to make definite summer plans when we don't know when we will be traveling to pick up babe.

10. Need to plan a birthday party for my son and a going away party for my dear friends.

AND...only 3 week til we are on a plane headed to TEXAS!

Deported!

2009-05-22T22:57:00.003+03:00

Several friends of ours are being deported.

Reasons haven't been given.

It came as a surprise to them.

Starting over on the next adventure God has for them.

We will miss them!

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."

The Poppy Dip Dress.

2009-05-22T22:47:00.000+03:00

A new dress

2009-05-19T21:54:00.002+03:00

I ordered a dress from here http://itspoppydip.blogspot.com/

The mom makes adorable dresses with fun fabrics for little girls. You pick the fabric. They are $25...which is reasonable for something custom made with love.

The family is adopting from Ethiopia....so each dress you buy helps them bring home their child.

What's not to love about that?

Ella's Toes

2009-05-19T08:56:00.002+03:00

Only 6 more days until our court date. Here is a little sneak preview of our girl. Aren't those the sweetest little toes you've ever seen?

As soon as she is legally ours, we can post photos of her. Check back on us next week! Hopefully and prayerfully there will be lots of pictures!

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen " Hebrews 11:1

Abbey's musical

2009-05-15T23:20:00.002+03:00

Our daughter was in the 5th grade muscial "Oliver Twist" last night. It was amazing! She was one of the urchins and danced and sang all throughout the show. It was fun getting to see her on stage. She has always loved singing and wanted to try her hand at drama. I couldn't be prouder of my girl. Picture coming soon!

Also got new pictures of our little one in Ethiopia. She is still as cute as a bug! She has her first two bottom teeth now....they were just starting to come in when we were in ET and she was sitting up so straight. I can tell she is getting stronger.

We are so blessed because for the past week or so a friend of mine was in ET and she LOVES "W" She emailed and said she spend as much time as she could with her.....snuggling her and playing with her.

Only 10 more days till court! Our director said that our file is complete and everything looks good for our May 25 court date! Praying that she will officially be Ella Grace "W' Collins on that day!

The Lucky One

2009-05-10T16:23:00.002+03:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I got a huge surprise this morning. My sister and her quilting group make a quilt every year and raffle it off to raise money to support cystic fibrosis reseach. One of our friends who we love very much has a daughter with CF.

Well, I WON the quilt this year! It is beautiful and I am so excited!

I had another surprise this morning. My normally happy boy, Will, wasn't feeling well and it was obvious to me he didn't need to go to school. He has been running a fever all day and just feeling terrible.

He has wanted me right by his side all day, so we have spent most of the day snuggled up in bed.

I was trying to think of things to take his mind off feeling so bad and I was telling him about the winning the quilt.

He started telling me about a raffle they are having at school for a pinata filled with candy.

But he's not going to buy any tickets because he isn't LUCKY.

According to him, He's only been lucky one time in his life.

When he got me for a MOM!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.....TO US ALL. I HOPE YOU FEEL LOVED AND APPRECIATED TODAY!

...rooted in love: No us, without her...#links#links

2009-05-10T06:59:00.001+03:00

Mother's Day...beautiful tribute to birth mothers!

...rooted in love: No us, without her...#links#links

18 days

2009-05-06T20:52:00.003+03:00

Only 18 more days until our court date for Ella Grace!

In the meantime....Abbey is making her stage debut in Oliver Twist next week. She is one of the singing urchins.

Cole is going to perform with the middle school band the following week. (Must buy black shoes!)

Bill is going back to Milan for a few days.

And I am going to the SPA tomorrow! Calgon take me away!

Is it too late for Easter photos?

2009-05-04T21:46:00.003+03:00

We had an interesting Easter. We missed Easter church service in Doha which was on Friday (we were in the US) and we left the US before Easter Sunday, so we missed Easter in that time zone as well. On top of that Bill was gone, so it was just the 4 of us.

We ended up reading the story of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday Morning and spending a little time thanking Jesus for what he has done for us. It was a sweet time for me and the kids. The kids all got Easter basket goodies.....which was a feat since we got home late the night before.

That afternoon, we did some Easter egg hunting with some friends in another compound.

Even the big kids got in on the fun!

To Market To Market

2009-05-04T20:46:00.002+03:00

Photos of the fruit and veg market and the fish market in Doha!

Back in Doha

2009-05-03T15:22:00.004+03:00

We are home from Ethiopia and had a wonderful visit with our sweet "W"! It was so sweet to meet her (again) now that she is ours. When I got there she was asleep and the nannies woke her up (poor baby) and changed her and brought her to me. They put her in my arms and she looked at me, then looked at them, then looked at me and burst into tears. It didn't take her long to calm down. I think she was startled because she had just been woken up. She loves her nannies and they all LOVE her. They are always singing her name and clapping for her and paying attention to her. They tell her she is conjo (beautiful) and gobez (strong). The payoff is her great SMILE! I think that is why they like to play with her so much. She is LIT from within....she glows.

I got to spend a few days with her, before the rest of the family arrived. Which is a good thing, because Abbey didn't want to put her down. It was so much fun for me to see them meet her for the first time. They fell in love with her. Will and Abbey were smitten. Cole is a little unsure of himself around babies, so she is going to have to work a little to win him over. I have no doubt she will! I think Bill thought she was something SPECIAL! Leaving her was very difficult, but I have so much to do to get ready for her homecoming. Will was the most upset. Poor little guy cried and cried as we drove away.

We were all well while in ET, but Abbey got sick after we got home. I think it was something she ate. She is feeling better, but stayed home today from school. I felt so bad for her. She was such a little mother hen in Ethiopia and was so sweet to all the babies in the nursery.

Our court date is MAY 25....just about 3 WEEKS away! Please put us on your prayer list, that we would pass the first time. Sometimes cases do not pass and we have to be prepared for that, but we want to get her home with us as soon as possible.

I wish I could show her photo , but for now here is her little hand and foot. She is sitting on the sofa that is on the porch of the guest house...yes there is a sofa on the porch. She is leaning over to prop herself up, still not strong enough to sit alone without that support. And she is smiling!

Wedding Pics

2009-04-24T19:04:00.005+03:00

Beautiful Day!

Beautiful Bride!

and they lived Happily Ever After!

Tom Davis

2009-04-24T18:05:00.002+03:00

Tom Davis with Children's Hopechest is back in Ethiopia identifying more orphanages to support.

If you ever wondered what the orphan problems in ET look like you should read his blog! http://tomdavis.typepad.com/

It will break your heart into a million pieces!

Oh Lord, please show us how we can be part of the solution for hurting children around the world! Open our eyes to what is going on and cause us not to look away.

too much of a good thing

2009-04-24T13:46:00.002+03:00

I leave tomorrow night to go to ETHIOPIA. This will be my third trip and I am getting pretty comfortable with the trip. Only this time I will be spending lots of time with our daughter. (It feels weird to say that.) I can't wait to see what her personality is like. To see if she is healthy and well and developing. To think that I will get to hold her, sing to her and pray for her while she is in my prescence is nothing short of amazing.

I am collecting some things to take along and tomorrow I am driving around town and picking up more boxes and bags of clothes, toys, blankets, shoes, etc. to take to the orphanage. I have a jumperoo and a bouncy seat to take, too.

I am like the Purple Heart or Salvation Army truck in your neighborhood.

My problem, I already have a bunch of things that the "nice" people dropped off at my house.

I am not sure how I am going to get all this stuff to ET.

Hmmmm.........Maybe I will try to send it cargo.

Something interesting to do in lovely Doha

2009-04-23T23:07:00.002+03:00

This morning 2 friends and I headed off bright and early to the fish market in Doha. A friend of mine goes pretty often and has been wanting to take us there.

It was a very aromatic experience, if you can imagine. I commented to my friend that I wished my blog was scratch and sniff so you could experience the intense fishy smell. Believe it or not, we did get used to it after a while.

I was amazed at how big the market was and how many stalls there were, it seemed like there were at least 50 different stalls. Each one was overflowing with everykind of fresh seafood you can imagine. The fish market is open everyday in Doha and everyday these stalls are full of fresh caught seafood. I couldn't help but be amazed at God who made the sea and everything in it.

We walked around checking out all the fish, crabs, lobsters, prawns, squid, and several unidentifible critters. We all ended up buying whole Hammor fish, which is a very common fish in Doha waters and on Doha restaurant menus. We also bought some shrimp. The next step is getting your fish cleaned which cost 1QR per kilo (which is a bit more than 25 cents. These guys work hard cleaning and prepping your seafood however you ask them too...the only thing is there is a bit of a language barrier and it can be hard to communicate what you need them to do. There is also an area entirely dedicated to cleaning the shrimp. I do not know how those guys squat all day cleaning shrimp.

After that stinky business, we headed over to S. home and her housekeeper graciously shared one of her recipes for steaming a whole fish. It was delish! We all went home with the recipe and our fish to prepare the same thing for dinner.

I had a very busy day today, but I was determined to cook that seafood. (Sorry honey that you weren't here to enjoy it) My youngest son LOVES seafood so it was really special for him.
I ended up frying the shrimp and they were YUMMY! I cooked the hammor whole in the oven because I couldn't quit figure how to rig up a steamer the way she had, and although it was very good we were so full on the shrimp that we didn't eat much fish.

So, if you are looking for something interesting to do in Doha, you should check out the fish market. I took a ton of pictures. The men working there reminded me of the children in Ethiopia. They liked for me to take their picture and then show it to them on the screen. I will try to put them up soon.

I have Wedding pics, Easter pics and now Stinky Fish Market pics all to post. Let's blame it on the slow internet in Doha!

April Crazy

2009-04-19T23:16:00.002+03:00

This is a hectic month for us. Abbey, Will and I were gone the first week of April to the US. Cole was gone another direction....to Jordan for an outreach trip. Bill was in Italy and then flew to Houston the day we were flying back to Doha.

Last week was a rough week for me. I hate to complain, but this is my blog. I felt like Satan was trying to steal my joy. We had just found out our court date for Ella Grace and did feel immensely blessed. When I was reading old blog post, I realized that court date was exactly what I had prayed for and asked you to pray for as the best case scenario. But, even in light of this great, wonderful news, I still felt down and defeated. Part of it is the numbing effects of jet lag and part of it was my darling girl was sick all week.

Things are going much better this week. Abbey is feeling better. Bill is home. He got home about 9pm last night. Just having him here makes things better. He and I were able to get some paperwork needed for the adoption notarized today at the embassy (they even granted us an emergency appointment since this was the only day we could do it).

He and Cole are leaving mid week to go to Dubai for the Little League All Stars tournament. I am so proud of Cole for making the team and I hope they have a great time in Dubai. I am a little jealous, because I really wish I could go too and see him play. But, the day they get back, I am going to Ethiopia to see Ella Grace. Bill and the kids will join me there midweek and get to meet her too. I can't imagine what it will be like for them to experience Ethiopia for the first time.

Our April is crazy! It makes me tired just rereading this post. I hope May is a little calmer and we can all at least stay on the same continent!

2009-04-15T23:45:00.003+03:00

We have chosen a name for our girl and I hope you like it.

We are going to name our sweet baby girl

Ella Grace

My mom's name is Eleanor and I have always wanted to name a baby after her and Grace is a such a beautiful name that reminds us of God's amazing grace. We are planning on also keeping her Ethiopian name which means "beautiful".

Got my tickets!

2009-04-14T23:53:00.004+03:00

I just booked my tickets to go see our girl in Ethiopia. We are getting an IR3 visa for her which will make her a US citizen upon crossing the border and eligible for a US passport. In order to do that, both Bill and I have to meet her in person before our court date (May 25).

So, soon I am flying to Addis Ababa to stay for almost a week. Bill and the kids are coming on mid week for a shorter visit. The five of us will fly back to Doha together. I can't wait to hold her in my arms. To tell her she is ours and we love her. I know it is going to be next to impossible for us to leave her.

We have gotten several new photos of her lately. She is getting chubby cheeks and the nannies have started braiding her hair. What a cutie with her tiny braids!

We have a court date!

2009-04-13T19:37:00.002+03:00

The next step in our adoption of our baby girl is securing a court date. We have been waiting a month to hear that our case was submitted to court and that we have a court date. I found out today that we are in court group J and that our court date is MAY 25!

Please put May 25 on your calendar and pray that our case is successful the first time around. Sometimes cases don't pass due to various reasons, mainly missing paperwork or something minor like that.

If we pass (and I am trusting that we will) it would mean that we would travel to pick her up about 4 weeks later! This would be PERFECT timing for our family.

In the meantime, we are going to visit her in Ethiopia in two weeks. To say I am excited is an understatement!

We are home

2009-04-03T12:11:00.001+03:00

Leaving tonight!

2009-03-31T07:00:00.003+03:00

We leave tonight.....

to go to the airport

to get on the big plane to Dallas, Texas!

Still packing and trying to get loose ends tied up for Cole, who will be going to Jordan on an outreach trip. Pray we have a safe trip and hopefully we will see some of you while we are there!

My amazing niece is getting married on Saturday. I still remember her as a little girl digging up worms and keeping them in a shoebox. Now she is a beautiful young woman working as an RN in Dallas. I will try to post some pictures from the wedding as I am sure it is going to be fabulous!!

Update on Baby Love

2009-03-30T07:12:00.002+03:00

We saw her picture for the first time 31/2 weeks ago. So, how can we miss her so much already. We haven't heard another peep from our agency. Nothing.... The next bit of news will be that our case has been filed in court. They indicated it would be anywhere from 1-5 weeks.

I have gotten several updates and photos from traveling families and she seems to be doing great. I recently got her measurements and she is gaining weight and growing. She is now 13.5 lbs. and 25.5 inches long. I am so glad she is growing and getting chubby. She is will be 7 months old in April. Everyone that meets her comments that she is the happiest baby, smiling and laughing all the time. One parent said she never saw her fuss the whole time she was there.

We are all planning on going to Ethiopia to visit her toward the end of April. Bill and the kids are only coming for a few days and I am going to stay all week. Bill bought their tickets last night. We debated on taking everyone because of the added expense, but I really want the kids to see Ethiopia and meet the older kids at the orphanage. I hope they appreciated the experience and gain something from it. But, I am trying to keep my expectations lo, because it is no picnic there with rolling blackouts across the city and unreliable water. But, we are planning on staying at a hotel with a generator and Bill and the kids are only going to be there for 3 days.

In other news, we are leaving for TEXAS in 2 days. I am so excited to see my family.......

Happy Birthday Abbey!

2009-03-25T00:45:00.002+03:00

Our sweet girl Abbey recently turned 11! We celebrated with a sleepover with friends, an ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery, and glamorous makeovers and lip sync performances!

We love you so much Abbey girl! You fill our lives with singing and laughter! You have a sweet, compassionate heart. You work hard at whatever task you find to do! Thank you helping me teach Sunday School and sharing our excitement about your new baby sister. She is going to LOVE you!

Texas!

2009-03-24T10:12:00.002+03:00

One week from today we are going to Texas! My beautiful niece is getting married and Will is going to be the ring bearer. It took him about 6 months to finally agree to do it, so we are all crossing our fingers that he actually walks the aisle. Her wedding coincides with our Spring Break! We have the whole week to enjoy being in Texas. Maybe we will see some bluebonnets!

We are flying this really terrible flight that leaves at 2am and has about a 5 hour layover somewhere in Europe. When we were booking it I was thinking frugality and now I am thinking we were crazy! I am dreading the flight so much! I am just going to have to focus on what is at the other end!

Day 5 of Working

2009-03-19T07:27:00.002+03:00

Ok...I have worked everyday this week and I just want to say to all the Mom's that work outside the home....YOU SHOULD BE VERY, VERY PROUD of yourself. It is hard work to work! The hardest part is having no time to do all the other things you normally would do during the day like grocery shopping, cooking, and planning my daughters birthday party which is TONIGHT! I don't know how you do it.

I am having a blast with the drama kids....they are probably the most fun kids in the school. I laughed so hard yesterday during first block, I had a headache the rest of the day.

Tonight is Abbey's birthday party and tomorrow is the Big Day....she is turning 11 !!

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl! We are having a Hollywood/American Idol - ish party! Should have pictures to share!

Yikes....I gotta go get ready for work!

My New Job

2009-03-17T11:12:00.002+03:00

Since we won't be able to move to Ethiopia for the next few months to be with our baby daughter, I decided I needed a distraction. I am now a substitute teacher at my children's school. My two younger children love having me at the school. My middle schooler not so much. Today I am the Middle School Drama teacher. Am I qualified? I've seen High School Musical about a million times and I was in drama a few years ago in high school, so I figure I can handle it.

My first class was great fun! The kids all had lines to work on and one by one they came up to the teacher's desk and I assessed how well they memorized their lines. The kids are so cute and all did a good job.

My next class is apparently the planning period for this teacher, so I get to check my email and do this blog. I am waiting to hear if our case has been submitted to the courts. It is supposed to be 1-5 weeks for this to happen.

After that is 6th graders. And then the day is over. Tuesday's are half days at our school. Whoo hoooo.....what a great job I have!

Adoption stuff

2009-03-13T13:37:00.002+03:00

We got our paperwork to sign and send back regarding Baby Girl's adoption. I didn't even know we had FedEx here in Doha, but apparently we do. They tried to deliver our package yesterday and I wasn't home....ahhhhhh! So, I drove 1.5 hours round trip to the FedEx office to pick up the paperwork last night. We filled it out and dropped it back off this morning. It is supposed to be back in Washington state by Tuesday at 12 noon. I love FEDEX!

I don't know if it matters that we did that so quickly. I do know that after you accept a referral your case if filed in court. And we want our case filed as quickly as possible.

(this next part is all speculation and wishful thinking) I think best case senario...our case will be filed by the end of MARCH and we will be assigned a court date toward the end of MAY. If our case passes court, we should be able to pick up our babe toward the end of JUNE. Which would be great timing...since we get out of school on June 11 and will be heading to the US sometime near the end of June.

So, this is what we are praying for......or faster :)

In the meantime....toward the end of APRIL our whole family is planning on going to Ethiopia to meet our girl. Well, everyone else is going to meet her, but I actually met her when I was in Ethiopia in January and she is a sweetheart! This trip is necessary to get a special visa which we need since we live overseas!

In other news, we had our last baseball games for the boys today. Yay! It was a fun season, but our baseball season is Looooong! Abbey is on a campout with Girl Scouts for 2 whole night...I am missing her.

And, in 3 short weeks I am going home for my beautiful niece's wedding! The two youngest kiddos are going with me.

I can't wait to see my family...especially my MOM!

6 months and 2 weeks!

2009-03-09T19:30:00.002+03:00

That's how long we waited for her! Our dossier was sent to Ethiopia on August 21 and we got the email on March 6!

Now we start a new waiting game.

Waiting for our court date and then waiting for her homecoming!

It can't come soon enough (although we have some shopping and rearranging to do!)

We are still working on a name for her. Any ideas?

Sweet baby girl

2009-03-07T21:27:00.007+03:00

I have to tell you how SWEET she is. She is the cutest thing with beautiful eyes and expressions. She is 6 months old. She is so tiny. She weighs about 12 lbs. and is 23.5 inches long. She wears a 3-6 months size. She is a healthy girl and her most recent picture she looks a little chubby.

Our entire family has been walking around with our head in the clouds today. We are already in love with her. How does that happen? Seriously, every song I heard sounded sweeter, the breeze blowing felt tingly and alive, and I couldn't sleep last night for looking at her picture. My two youngest children have been positively giddy all day. (I am gushing, but I hope you understand) Will told me today "Our lives are going to change!" He has a lot of insight for a little guy.

We have put off buying any baby things until we got our referral, so today we went to the mall and got her a couple of outfits. Abbey was telling me she needed to buy some socks and Will said "I need to buy a crib!" We had so much fun talking about her and imagining our life with her. We got her a tee shirt with a strawberry on it that said "Berry Happy Girl" It was so fitting, because in a lot of her pictures she has a huge smile on her face.

?Guess What?

2009-03-07T10:47:00.003+03:00

We got a referral for a beautiful baby girl last night! We are blessed beyond belief!

Abbey made this turtle for her baby sister.

Finished!

2009-03-06T16:20:00.003+03:00

I finally got the courage up to quilt one of the many quilt tops I've made. I quilted it on my machine, not by hand. This is the first quilt I've made from beginning to end. I made a quilt top for Bill once, but had it professionally quilted.

So, here it it...My First Quilt

Been Sewing

2009-03-03T11:01:00.001+03:00

I made this cute bib. Super Easy instructions are here...http://chickpeastudio.typepad.com/chickpea_sewing_studio/2008/01/chickpea-infant.html

2009-03-02T12:29:00.004+03:00

Spent the morning at the singing sand dunes. It is an amazing place that makes you feel closer to our awesome Creator just being there. The dunes make a humming noise when you walk down and you can feel the vibrations in your feet. The kids had so much fun playing in the world's biggest sand box. The highlight was catching a lizard using a McDonalds cup and a baking tray. We tried sliding down on the trays, but looks like we need a sandboard.

Friendship Festival

2009-03-01T21:10:00.004+03:00

Every year our school has a huge fundraising event called the Friendship Festival. It is so much fun. The entire school Pre-K - 12 is there along with their families and other members of the community. There are games, lots of yummy food, vendors selling their wares, and a silent auction. One of the biggest sellers are confetti eggs. The grades compete to see which class can collect the most egg shells (top cut off and clean and empty). These are filled with confetti and sold at the FF. The kids love to buy them and break them on their friend' heads. This year Will and Abbey camped out by two baskets they wanted to win at the silent auction and fortunately they won! I can't imagine the meltdowns if they hadn't won. I hope you enjoy these pictures. Some of them are of our friends and I didn't get any of Cole, he avoids me when he sees a camara in my hand.

Adoption Update....getting closer

2009-02-24T23:18:00.004+03:00

Today I got an email from our agency that says we are CLOSE to getting a referral. There are 1 or 2 families ahead of us. I am not sure if that means weeks or months, but we are close, we are close, we are close!

When I think about the whole paradox of adoption, I am sometimes ashamed at how anxious I am for this to happen. On one hand, you have someone's life ending or ending as they know it and on the other our lives are taking on a joyous new beginning. Somewhere there is a family grieving over a loss OR a young mother making the hardest decision of her life while we are picking out baby names and crib bedding. All over the world there are mothers who never get to see their children grow up, never get to snuggle them again, never get to hold their little hands or kiss sweet baby lips. I am sure not a day goes by without those birth mamas thinking about their babies, praying for them, and wondering.

These two pieces of the adoption puzzle are hard for me to fit together.

So even though this wait is hard, I know it is much, much harder to be on the other side of adoption. So, I strive to wait with grace and peace and to understand what it must be like for our baby's birth mother. And I say a prayer for her.

I have the Gift of Doughnuts.

2009-02-24T12:47:00.013+03:00

Once I blogged about my experience at the fruit and vegetable market in Doha HERE . It was way back in May '08. I wrote about meeting the young and old men that work in the market and how important they are to God, how he knows their names and how they are supposed to be important to us too. And, I told about sharing my Krispy Kremes doughnuts with them.

TODAY, 9 months later I went back to the fruit and veg market for the 2nd time. I started out this morning not quite knowing what to do with myself. I spent most of the early morning checking email, doing a little quilting, playing around on facebook and obsessing over our now 6 months wait for our referral. I decided I needed to get out of the house and take a drive.

I got in the car and grabbed my devotional book and quickly read my devotional for the day. It was about how we are all gifted by God to serve him and others. I prayed "Show me how I can best serve you today, Lord" and set off to return something at the mall. After that, I got back into my car and didn't really know where I was going. I started driving toward the kids school and then realized I was an hour early to pick them up, so I thought I would drive over to the fruit and veg market. I was quickly transported to the reality of living in a developing? country when I got in the hustle and bustle traffic around the market. With horns blowing and people yelling at each other, I maneuvered my way to the entrance.

I walked in and started around the perimeter, knowing I would buy something, but not really needing anything. I stopped at a stall and looked interested, which is all the encouragement the sales guys need to start persuading you to buy a car full of produce. After a couple of minutes, the young man waiting on me said "You come here before." I said yes, but it was a long time ago, pretty sure he was mistaking me for someone else.

"You brought cake, you brought doughnuts."

And it was then that I knew that God was there...in the midst of this Middle Eastern market. He had directed my steps. These guys remembered me from 9 months ago because I shared my doughnuts with them. Unbelievable! I can only hope I have another opportunity to share Krispy Kremes and more with them.

2009-02-22T20:38:00.002+03:00

This was a scary accident near our kids school today.

Boot Scoot

2009-02-21T21:26:00.004+03:00

We had a fun time this weekend at the Doha A&M club Boot Scoot! We had a Texas sized fajita buffet and lots of country music and dancing. It was fun to be around a bunch of Aggies and we even sang the Aggie war hymn and sawed Varsity's horns off.

2009-02-16T20:16:00.003+03:00

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

This is one of the verses Cole is learning in preparation for his outreach trip to Jordan over Spring Break. These photos are of Cole's cross country track meet last week.

IOU

2009-02-15T20:51:00.002+03:00

It happened again today...

I drove through KFC. KFC is huge in Doha and it is pretty good, too. I ordered our food, handed the guy my credit card and he said no, he wanted cash. I didn't have any cash and didn't have any way to get cash (lost purse, cancelled credit cards, found purse...another story for another day)

He said no problem..
Just bring it tomorrow....

WHAT???

I can't get over how people basically trust you to keep your word in this crazy place we live.

So, tomorrow I will drive all the way across town to pay my debt to KFC.

Adoption: Not much to tell

2009-02-07T15:30:00.002+03:00

I get asked a lot about the adoption and really there isn't much to tell right now.

Other than I am becoming one of those impatient waiters.

At first, I was very patient. I scoffed at others who obsessed over the wait. Now, I can honestly say I am going crazy!

I check my emails and yahoo groups several times a day just to see if anyone has gotten a referral (they haven't lately). I try to calculate in my mind when our referral might come and as that time draws near or passes I get really bummed.

I think what set me off, was being in Ethiopia and seeing the sheer number of sweet babies in the nursery. The court system is so backed up right now that I am guessing our agency isn't giving many referrals, because they know the wait til court will be excruciatingly long.

So we wait and trust God's perfect timing.

Please Pray

2009-02-07T15:23:00.001+03:00

Please pray for precious Abby Riggs. She is a little girl with cancer that we have been praying for a long time. Things have gotten very serious for her right now and she needs our prayers.

Read all about Abby and her amazing family at http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/

thanks.

I'm generous!

2009-02-05T23:26:00.002+03:00

Yesterday, I picked up Will after school and then we hung out at the school waiting on Abbey to get finished with her activity.

I brought along some leftover sushi for Will to snack on since he loves sushi.

When I told him what was in the box, he said "Thanks mom, that was so generous!"

He is such a sweetheart!

Another crazy Doha experience

2009-02-04T22:53:00.002+03:00

Today, I took the kids to a new place for juice. Have I mentioned you can get the best fresh juices here. Will is crazy about banana and Abbey gets strawberry/banana. They are yummy.

We went to a new place called "As You Like". It was clean and they had a take out/ delivery menu. I picked one up and the kids were excited about ordering dinner from our new find.

Later that night, I called to place our order. Well, after 15 minutes of me trying to order and the poor fella on the other end trying to understand my English, I gave up. To make it even worse, I was ordering by the item number on the menu. That's right. He couldn't understand my numbers. I would say 17 and he would say 70. I would say 23 and he would say 33. Finally, I apologized and said to cancel the order and I would try again another day. I knew he didn't understand the whole cancelling part and sure enough, he called me a little later asking where we lived. I know it would have been impossible for me to explain where we lived. So the poor guy was stuck with whatever it was he thought we ordered.

Just another day in Doha!

Did you know?

2009-02-01T20:07:00.002+03:00

In Doha all the gas stations are full service. It cost me around 50Qatar Riyals to fill up my small SUV, which is about $13.00 or $14.00. Yet another good thing about living in Doha!

Doha Days

2009-01-28T21:07:00.002+03:00

Today I was reminded of something I like about Doha.

I was driving home from picking up Abbey from Girl Scouts at about 5pm and I drove through a part of town with a long strip mall of "hole in the wall" places that sell rotisserie chickens and shawarmas.

They don't start selling them until 5 or 5:30. The timing was right so I pulled up. You don't even have to get out of your car. The "chicken men" stand outside on the sidewalk and if you catch their eye, they will come take your order. I got 4 whole rotisserie chickens for the weekend and a bag of fresh shawarmas to take home for dinner. He even brought out a small bag of falafal "for the babies" while we were waiting.

It may seem funny, but it is moments like these when I find myself immersed in the local culture that I like living in Doha.

Our eldest

2009-01-24T22:40:00.004+03:00

Our son Cole is 12. He is at that age where he doesn't really want me to take pictures of him. This rare opportunity came about because he needed some photos for a school project. I love these pictures. He is doing something he truly enjoys. He is happy.

This week he is gone to the UAE with his 7th grade class for a Week Without Walls experience. I already miss him and am praying he has a great (and safe) time. They flew out at 5am this morning. He went without fears or reservations, confident and ready! He is growing up whether I like it or not.

Will's 8th Birthday

2009-01-23T20:35:00.002+03:00

Will invited some of his closest buds over for a Star Wars sleepover. We had so much fun playing games and watching movies. Abbey was a HUGE help getting ready for the party and keeping the little boys entertained. She definitely has a knack for this sort of thing.

One of the highlights was the chocolate fountain. The boys had a great time and got all kinds of messy!

Will is such a wonderful son. I love his sweet spirit and he is always so thoughtful of me and others. He loves his friends. His best friend is moving back to Texas next week and he is going to miss him so much. They play together almost everyday after school. They are already planning to go to camp together this summer.

Happy Birthday to my Will....I love you soooooo much!

Lots to Tell About

2009-01-23T19:55:00.002+03:00

Abbey participated in a Walk A Thon to raise money for a school that we (our school) are building in ETHIOPIA. The children in the village where we are building the school have to walk a long way to their current school. Our kids walked an hour before school and an hour after so they could see what it is like to walk to school. I am so glad to be a part of a school that is reaching out to help others.

Cole had his first band concert of the year. He plays the clarinet and we couldn't be prouder of him. He did a great job and looked so sharp in his black outfit.

5 Months Waiting for our Girl

2009-01-21T14:20:00.008+03:00

We have been waiting for 5 months for our referral of a little daughter from Ethiopia and again I am just grateful to God that he has given us patience and peace through the wait. I feel like we are getting close to getting our referral and I think we may know something in February, based on the timelines of other waiting families.

Our agency has had a baby boom of sorts due to famine like conditions in the Northern parts of Ethiopia and increased waiting time for court dates. They now have over 60 babies and toddlers in their care. When I was there a couple of weeks ago the storage rooms were quickly being depleted of baby supplies. I am planning a baby drive here in Doha to collect supplies to send (or maybe take myself, if I can)

Here is a link to a newsletter from our agency explaining the baby situation.

http://hosted.vresp.com/350477/fa584ebd37/238/86edb0b3a5/

Dr. Rick

2009-01-15T15:12:00.002+03:00

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1460891101/bclid1481452785/bctid1902498519

While in Ethiopia, we had the privilege of meeting the legendary Dr. Rick. He has lived in Addis for 21 years and is a doctor at Mother Theresa's Mission. He cares for the "least of these" every day. He has adopted 5 teenage Ethiopia boys and cares for 15 more children in his home. Every Friday night he opens his home to any visitors that would like to come for the Shabbat meal. It was a moving experience at he recited age old passages in Hebrew, blessed all the children and prayed for the sick. He kept it lighthearted by asking everyone to go around the circle and answer the Question of the Week. And after he had prayed over the bread. He broke off pieces and tossed them to each person in the circle. The link above will take you to a slide show of this amazing man. I believe a documentary of his life will soon be released at well.

My Ethiopian Happy Birthday

2009-01-14T08:01:00.006+03:00

This is me with one of the volunteers. She was also dressed up (thank goodness!) What you can't see behind us is the traditional goat slaughter as they prepared for tomorrow's Christmas Day feast. Yuck!

The morning of my birthday I was overwhelmed when Mekdes (she is in Addis Ababa on holiday) and her sister surprised me with birthday cake and gifts. The bought me a traditional dress and sandals. The cake was completely vegan as they were both still fasting and they wanted to be able to enjoy the cake, too. I do not know how you make a cake without milk and eggs, but it tasted good. This was the day of the kids Christmas party and they insisted I wear my new clothes to the party. I have never gotten so many compliments. Although some of the Ethiopians were probably surprised to see me all dressed up, many told me how "qonjo" or beautiful I looked. It was a birthday that I will never, ever forget.

Home

2009-01-12T09:12:00.003+03:00

I am home from my volunteer trip to Ethiopia. I had a great, amazingly great time. How can I say that when our accommodations were sub standard, we had a very small trickle of hot water and some days no water, we were without electricity some nights, and I don't like the food all that much.

Simply, it is the kids. I have fallen in love with these kids and I wanted them to have a special Christmas just like I want for my biological children. We spent several days getting ready for the big Christmas party, which meant lots of gift wrapping and making a list and checking it twice. Now I know why Santa checks that list twice. We had to go over and over and over the list because we wanted to make sure no one was left out. In between times, we spent cuddling and feeding babies and just hanging out with the big kids.

The day of the big party (and also my 40th birthday), the children performed the Christmas story drama. They did not leave out a single detail of the biblical Christmas story. Then came "the circus" where some of the older girls did tumbling and acrobatics. It made me tear up to see these kids, who had never had a gymnastic lesson of any sort, performing for us. Santa himself showed up to hand out the gifts. Each child got a toy and a new traditional outfit. They loved their new toys. It was amazing to watch them play for hours with their one new toy.

I wish I could post pictures of the kids so you could see how beautiful they looked in their new clothes and how happy they were with their new toys. Even though they had little, some of the older girls wrapped up pieces of candy from their goody bags for me when they heard it was my birthday.

These kids are amazing and if you have ever considered adopting an older child, you should contact AAI and get a copy of the waiting child DVD. There are so many beautiful older children longing for families.

I'm making these for my family!

2009-01-02T21:12:00.000+03:00

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Submitted by: Lois GordonRated: 5 out of 5 by 282 members
Prep Time: 10 MinutesCook Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 35 MinutesYields: 16 servings
"These banana muffins are my kids' favorite. I adapt it for adults by adding chopped nuts or dried apricots."
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate
chips
DIRECTIONS:
1.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

On my way..

2009-01-02T19:45:00.004+03:00

Just wanted to briefly let you know that I am going to Ethiopia TONIGHT. I volunteered to help with the Christmas parties at the orphanages and transition home for our agency. We are still waiting to get a referral, so I will not be seeing our little girl, or maybe I will and not even know it. I think we will be getting a referral early in 2009, maybe February, based on the current time frames.

It is extremely difficult to leave my three kiddos behind. I have trouble trusting that God can take care of them without me here. I have 4 amazing moms that will be taking care of them after school and one amazing husband that will be caring for them after work and each morning (but it is still hard).

Our Ethiopian housemaid is also gone to Ethiopia on holiday, so she will not be here to help out. I am glad I will get to visit with her in her home country. I know she wants me to attend church with her. I am also going to try to visit my friend's baby that is still in care at an orphanage. He is the cutest baby boy ever!

I collected some women's clothes to take to the nannys at the transition home and some kids clothes too. Thanks to my friends for helping me with this.

Ok...that is all for now, I have to finish packing and I want to make some chocolate chip-banana muffins for my kids.

Christmas report

2009-01-01T03:24:00.008+03:00

We are back in Doha today (12/30/08) after another looong flight. It takes me a few days to re-enter the land of the living when we return. Today I successfully cooked breakfast and lunch, unpacked things, played UNO and Life and promptly fell asleep about 5pm.

We had a great time with family over the holidays. We spent most of the time at my Mom's home in rural East Texas (with no Internet). There were 38 of us celebrating in mom's little home. It was tight, but there was a lot of love going around. I loved seeing my sisters and brother and all their kids. Many of their children are adults now, with families of their own. It is so fun having so many little kids running around. I guess there will never be a time in our family that we don't have babies and little ones. My nephew and his wife are expecting their second child in April and hopefully our daughter will be with us by this summer. Another niece is getting married in April and we are planning on coming home for the wedding. It happens to be the same week as our Spring Break. Yay!

The kids and I drove to see Bill's family on Christmas Day. Bill had to come back to Doha early and missed all the fun. I think he was pretty lonely, but our friends in Doha took good care of him. We are so blessed with wonderful friends

Our trip to Disney was great fun! We used tourguidemike.com to help plan our trip and I highly recommend it. One of the things we did this year was dinner at 1900 Park Fair at the Grand Floridian. It was so cute. The stepsisters and stepmother were there along with Cindy and Prince Charming. The stepsisters were a hoot! Our favorite ride was Toy Story Mania. It is crazy the madness surrounding this ride. You have to arrive at the park at opening and walk with the stampeding herd to the fast pass line. While I got fast passes the kids and Bill rode it once. I think all the fast passes are gone by mid morning or something crazy like that and we were there during the slow season. Our favorite meal was probably at Cinderella's castle. We had the dining plan this time and I don't plan to do it again. It was waaaaaay too much food and I couldn't bear to leave our credits unused. We did get to eat a lot of fun character meals though. We stayed at the Polynesian resort and would definitely do that again if possible. You can see the fireworks from the resort beach every night. Just beautiful

The hardest part of the trip home was leaving my Mom. Her health is not good. In fact, we had to take her to the emergency room and several doctors appointments while we were there. She is having test done to see if they can figure out what is making her feel so bad. If you think about it say a prayer for her.

Disney

2008-12-07T12:49:00.002+03:00

We are here! We love our hotel. We are struggling a tiny bit with jet lag. We are going to bed early. We missed the fireworks the first couple of nights. And we have been getting up early, 4-5am. It makes for a early start at the parks. We were there to open the park at Magic Kingdom. We had a fabulous first day at the Magic Kingdom. The park wasn't crowded at all and we waited no more than 10 minutes for any ride. At the last minute we were able to get reservations and surprise the kids with lunch at Cinderella's. They all really enjoyed it. The princesses were so pretty and sweet and our kids jumped at the chance to get their pictures made with them. We have seen so many pretty little princesses, especially when we had lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table. All of us have been talking about bringing our own little princess to Disney one day.

We spent yesterday at Epcot. The kids loved riding Test Track. We made it all the way around the world showcase and rode the boat ride in Norway in honor of Will's best friend, Magnus from Norway. We ate lunch in Great Britian and we all loved shopping at the store in Japan. We were so tired by the time we got back to the room. The kids all got in bed at 8 to watch a movie and Bill and I went out to dinner in the hotel. Cole said Will and Abbey fell asleep right after we left.

Today we will venture to Animal Kingdom. The kids and Bill are still asleep and it is 6:25am. Whoo hooooo. Maybe they will be able to stay up a little later tonight.

Where there's a will...

2008-12-03T13:15:00.004+03:00

Mekdes has been collecting things to send to Ethiopia ever since she started working for us. Today was the day that she had everything ready to send. Despite my worries that it wouldn't all fit in the car and that it would be waaaay too much money to ship it, we set out this morning for the cargo place. Nevermind that neither of us knew where we were going. I got directions while on the way from a friend of hers and we made it without getting lost. She ended up sending 150 kilos of clothes, bedding, and who knows what else to Ethiopia for 1273 QR, which is about $350.00 (almost the total amount of her Christmas present from us). She has a heart of gold and I can't imagine the delight when her family gets four huge containers of stuff. We stopped on the way back for a few pictures of Doha on a pretty day.

And YES, it is only about 9 hours until we get picked up to go to the airport.

SCROLL down to see new pictures added to Christmas post.

Today

2008-12-02T19:58:00.002+03:00

Today I...

-cleaned out closets. Mekdes is getting ready to ship some big cargo containers full of clothes to Ethiopia.

-got a manicure and pedicure.

-drove a kid to the orthodontist and then went to the grocery to buy enchilada ingredients.

-made enchiladas for same kid for Spanish class "cooking show" tomorrow

-discovered we have a ticket for turning right on red...did not know it was illegal here. The ticket is a whopper and we have to take care of it before we leave the country.

-decorated cut out sugar cookies. I baked yesterday, after saying "I am not baking this year!"

-made goody bags for young son's class.

What I did NOT do today:

- pack!

WE LEAVE IN 27 hours. I gotta get packing girls!

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Eid Mubarak

2008-11-30T07:33:00.005+03:00

The holiday season is upon us in Doha. This weekend we celebrated both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are leaving in 3 days....3 DAYS for home and we will not be back for Christmas so Santa came early....really early to our house. The kids were thrilled, but it didn't feel very Christmassy to me. I know we will probably end up celebrating this whole month which will be fun. Our plans are to fly into Texas and then to Florida for a week. When we saw the school calendar and realized we were going to be off the whole month of December, we knew it was the perfect time to go to Disney (low crowds and cooler weather). Then we are going back to my hometown for some family time. Bill has to come back to Doha early, so he will miss the big family Christmas at my moms' house this year (bummer).

We had Thanksgiving on Thursday, even though is was a school and work day. Some very special friends came over after school and we ate Thanksgiving Dinner together. The food was so good....we were all stuffed. I didn't get many pictures (except this one of my turkey bird), as I was busy running around like a turkey with my head cut off, since the party was at my house.

The next day, we went to church on Friday (still weird for me) and then got ready for the Texas A&M Thanksgiving. I was so excited to see the campus, but the actual dinner turned out to be a little disappointing. There were soooo many people there, the line was a mile long. We sat around for awhile and then decided to go eat here instead with our fellow Aggie friends. Any guesses what restaurant this is?

On Saturday morning SANTA came to Doha. Our kids were thrilled, but it was hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit. We did start a fun tradition. The night before we all picked a Christmas storybook and each one of us read aloud to the family. It was sweet to see each of their personalities shine as they read their story.

Now, we are just trying to get through these last few days of school (Cole has two major projects due on Wednesday) and get on that big ol' airplane that will take us Home for the Holidays.

Now that your tummy is full.....

2008-11-28T06:51:00.006+03:00

Every year Americans spend millions of dollars mailing Christmas cards to our friends and family. This year do it digitally (free) and donate the money you saved to Compassion International’s Global Food Initiative. It’s that simple!

Food prices are rising all over the world, and this is plunging more and more people deeper into poverty. Compassion International is working hand in hand with local churches to bring aid to those affected by this.

We actually sponsored a child through Compassion International as a gift to our family one Christmas. She is a gift to us! We get the sweetest hand drawn pictures from her. We have the privilege of praying for her and seeing God's plan unfold in her little life. We recently sponsored a little boy in Ethiopia. He is 11 years old and we just got his first letter. Sponsoring a child is soooo easy. Get your credit card in hand and go to http://www.compassion.com/default_a.htm and change the world for one child.

Cubscout Campout

2008-11-26T10:16:00.005+03:00

Looks like my cubscout had a good time on his campout.

International Week

2008-11-26T09:21:00.003+03:00

Will in front of the North American tables South African friends proud of their country.

South America is well represented.

Thailand....we love Thai food, especially Pad Thai.

These ladies look so pretty in their kimonos.

This week is International Week at the school and on Monday we had the International buffet. One of the things I love about living in Doha, is the whole world lives here. The parents all send food from their home country and all the students (K-12) and teachers are treated to an amazing lunch from around the world. The rest of the week the kids dress in national costumes (which for us is an old navy flag t-shirt and jean shorts) and celebrate the diversity of the students in our school.

Life in Doha

2008-11-21T10:09:00.002+03:00

Got this in an email today. Very funny to me. Not sure if you can relate, but this is a little window into life in Doha.

You know you've been in the Middle East too long when.........

You're not surprised to see a goat in the passenger seat
You think the uncut version of 'Little House on the Prairie' is provocative
You think every one's first name is Al
You need a sweater when it's 80 degrees Fahrenheit
You expect everyone to own a mobile phone
Your idea of housework is leaving a list for the houseboy /babysitter/maid/helper
You believe that speed limits are only advisory
You expect all police to drive BMWs or Merc's
You know whether you are within missile range of Iraq
You believe that the definition of a nanosecond is the time interval between the time the light turns green and the time that the guy behind you begins to blow his horn
You can't buy anything without asking for a discount
You expect all stores to stay open till midnight
You understand that 'wadi bashing' isn't a criminal act
You make left turns from the far right lane
You send friends a map instead of your address
You understand why huge 4x4s must slow down to a snail's pace whilst crossing a speed bump yet hurtle through a wadi at 100kph
You think that 'Howareyoufine' is one word. So is 'Mamsir'
You think it perfectly normal to have a picnic in the middle of a roundabout at 11pm
You know exactly how much alcohol allowance you have left for the month
You have a moon phase predictor on your computer
You never say Saturday instead of Friday or Sunday instead of Saturday anymore
You accept that there is no point in asking why you are not allowed to do something
You expect queues to be 1 person deep and 40 people wide
You realise that the black and white stripes in the road are not a zebra crossing, just bait to get tourists into the firing line
Seeing guys welcome each other with a kiss and hold hands while walking no longer distracts you
You carry 12 passport size photos around with you just in case
You can tell the time by listening to the local mosque
You think its a good night if there are fewer than 10 men for every woman in a bar
Phrases like 'potato peeler', 'dish washer', 'coffee maker' and 'fly swatter' are no longer household items but are actually job titles
Habibi isn't just the ex-president of Indonesia
Problem with your car AC or horn is more serious to you than a problem with the brakes

Children's Hopechest is in Ethiopia

2008-11-17T07:55:00.004+03:00

When I went to Ethiopia earlier this year, I met Angel and I was privileged to go with her to meet Hanna. I asked Hanna how she supported all these kids. I asked her if she was rich and she replied with a smile "I am not rich, but I have a rich God." Since then, Children's Hopechest has gone into Ethiopia and identified orphanages that need supporting and assistance, including Hanna's. Once again, her rich God is supplying her needs as she cares for these children. They are in the process of finding groups (churches, businesses, etc) that will step up and sponsor these precious kids. Red Letters Campaign, an online community of believers, is sponsoring one of the orphanages. If you would like to be a part of this go to redletterscampaign.com or if your church or group would be interested contact childrenshopechest.org

The following post was written by Angel at thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com

I met Hannah - a woman who inspired me like no other. A woman who just followed God's call. Where most of us would say "Impossible ... who am I," Hannah says "Where there is vision ... there is provision.

"WHERE THERE IS VISION...I was impacted so deeply by her story of taking in one child after another off the streets and providing them a home, a family of foster siblings, food, clothing and, so important, EDUCATION. I was there when a young girl without even clothes was brought in to Hannah's off the street. Today, Hannah cares for over 160 children without much outside support. THAT is about to CHANGE!

Hopechest and Red Letters Campaign just returned from Ethiopia where we identified 8 orphan communities with over 750 kids who would benefit from the Children's Hopechest community - to - community sponsorship model. Remember ... "Where there is vision, there is provision!" We had a vision for supporting Hannah in her incredible work. Amy Bottomly had a vision of bringing support for Kolfe orphanage. Tom Davis had a vision for bringing futures to 1,000 children in Ethiopia.

THERE IS PROVISION!Well ... guess what, I want to show you the provision (watch video). It brings tears to my eyes to see Hannah's orphanage on this video and to realize that God has taken this experience full circle. Also, keep an eye out for Moses' Orphanage - the community that the Red Letters Campaign community is sponsoring.

To date, it appears that we have four of these communities sponsored already. Today, we already have almost 60 sponsors for our own orphanage (Moses' Orphanage), but we have room for more. Also, we'd love to take on another orphanage. If you want to be part of this, you can still send an email to Amy Bottomly at amyde63@hotmail.com. If you want more information, click here to read more.

Why?

2008-11-13T18:48:00.004+03:00

Why are we adopting? How did we get to this point? Here we are just a few months from getting a referral and I stand amazed.

For me, adopting a child was always something I dreamed about doing. When I was a little girl I would wish and pray that someone would leave a baby on our doorstep. I would pretend that I found a baby in the woods behind our house. I would tell my mom that I was never getting married and I was going to adopt Korean kids.

The dream faded a bit after I grew up, got married and had three wonderful biological children. Bill and I talked about one day we might adopt a child, but only if the circumstances were just right. I seriously uttered these words, "We are done." Our family was complete, so we thought. We liked having "big" kids.

Several years ago, I started feeling like God was up to something in our family. I would even tell the kids and Bill, I felt like God wanted to do something great in our family, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Time passed and I still felt God nudging us toward something.

After we moved to Doha, my eyes were opened to so much more of the world. We hired Mekdes, our Ethiopian housekeeper. I traveled to Ethiopia to volunteer in an orphanage. I began to read more about adoption on the Internet and talked with my sister about adopting. She and her family had been part of an orphan ministry to Ukrainian children for several years. It slowly became obvious to me that adoption is where God had been leading us. I was so nervous to tell Bill about the feelings I was having. I finally got my nerve up and was so happy when he said "Yes". He thought we should start investigating the possibilities. We knew by the end of 2007 that we would soon begin the process to adopt.

At first we looked into adopting from Korea or another Asian country, feeling that would be the best fit for our family. But, my heart was in Ethiopia with the children I met there. It became pretty obvious that Ethiopia was where we should look for our child.

We had our homestudy in February 2008. We had to fly a social worker here from Germany. The homestudy was important for us. It helped direct what age child we would seek. The in depth personal histories we wrote helped sort out our feelings and expectations regarding adoption. Our social worker recommended and approved us to adopt 1 or 2 children under 7 years old. After that we began collecting all the documents we needed to compile our dossier and complete our homestudy. It was not an easy task living over here in Doha. We made multiple trips to the US Embassy and the local police station for fingerprints and clearances. Communicating with limited English police officers that we needed these fingerprints to adopt a child, got me sent to the line for getting a birth certificate. One time, I got so frustrated with the US Embassy that I burst into tears in front of the clerk and everyone else in the waiting room.

When we went home in the summer, I told my Mom of our plans. I was a little nervous about her reaction, but I had covered the conversation in prayer and she was supportive and asked a lot of good questions. We were completely finished with all the paperwork by August. There were some minor hiccups along the way, like our homestudy was dated incorrectly, but our dossier was complete and mailed to Ethiopia on August 21.

We were now on the waiting list for a little boy or girl 3-6 years old. The waiting period has been so good for me. As we have waited it became clear to me that I was longing for a little girl. It also became clear that it was OK with me if she was a very little girl, even a baby. Initially, I was terrified of starting over with a baby. I turn 40 in January! We have no baby things anymore. But, God calmed all those fears and brought Bill on board, too. So, now it is entirely in His hands. Our request is for a little girl, 0-6 years old. We may get a kindergartner or we may get a newborn. Only God knows right now.

Waiting has also confirmed for me our decision. A lot of things I read suggested the main reason you should adopt is a desire to parent a child. Other reasons play a role, like wanting to "help", making a difference in the life of a child, giving something back, etc. are all good things, but the main reason to adopt is you want to parent. Initially it was hard for me to grasp this. I felt called to adopt. I felt like we could love another child. I knew we could support another child. I knew that God loves adoption! What waiting is doing for me, is sealing my desire to parent this child. After waiting, a few months since our dossier was finished, but really over a year since we started the process, I am longing for this child. Longing to meet her, longing to love her and longing to be her mother.

Countdown.....

2008-11-13T07:59:00.002+03:00

The kids have 3 more weeks of school and then we are out of here! The countdown has begun. These next few weeks are going to be BUSY and fun.

We have a Cubscout Campout in the desert.
Pegasus Club (ExxonMobil) Children's Christmas Party.
THANKSGIVING festivities..I love Thanksgiving
Baseball games every weekend.
the annual British pantomime (we went last year for the first time and loved it!)
and hopefully Santa will come early to Doha.

Then, we are on our way to Grandma's house, by way of Mickey's and Minnie's place. It makes me a little weary just looking at this list.