ADOPTION UPDATE!!! :) It's not much of an update, but at this point even a little bit of information is a nice break in the silence.
It's been 12 weeks since we accepted our referral of our sweet twins. 12 LONG weeks. When we accepted our referral, the agency told us that it would take 10-12 weeks to prepare the twins' paperwork so that we could be submitted to court. I really didn't think it would actually take 12 weeks! At the end of last week, we got an email from our agency. They said the reason we've been waiting so long to be submitted to court is because they haven't been able to locate the birth mom. They need her consent to get a death certificate for the birth father (which happens to be the last piece of information needed to submit us for a court hearing). Apparently, if the whereabouts of the living birth parent is unknown, the police have to search for the parent for a certain amount of time before they can file for the death certificate without consent. That time was up today. So, today in Ethiopia, they filed for a death certificate for the twins' birth father. They should be able to pick that up on Wednesday.
Please join us in praying that the agency is able to get the death certificate this Wednesday and submit us for court before the end of the week. Also, pray for our babies' birth mother. Pray that she is safe and taken care of wherever she is.
If we are submitted to court this week, we are hoping (and praying!!) to travel to Ethiopia for our court hearing in July.
It's so incredible to have Michael and Liliana home during the ups and downs of this adoption process. Seeing them each day is a reminder that what feels like endless waiting is nothing in comparison to the joys of having the kids at home. It's crazy to think that Michael and Liliana have been home from 2 years already. They bring so much laughter, joy, and fun to our lives.
In light of them being home for two years, here is a little update about them!
MICHAEL:
Michael is our little rule-follower. He reminds me so much of myself! He loves sports, especially hockey, soccer, football, running, and tennis. He is very athletic and very competitive. Right now he is learning how to read and loves books. He loves to ride his 20" bike, swim, do art projects, watch TV and movies (which we don't allow during the summer unless it's raining!), and playing with babies. He is going to be such a wonderful big brother. He just absolutely loves playing with and help out with babies. He was so thrilled when our neighbors daughter was learning to walk. He would spend all his time coaching her to walk. It was adorable.
Michael has been adamant for over a year that he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. Although, every once in a while, he would throw in that he wanted to be a pilot too (like his uncle Trevor). Just a few weeks ago he changed his mind. He now adamantly wants to be an astronaut!
Michael has grown so much in the past two years from being a little, short, chubby boy -- to a tall, thin "big" boy. I can't believe how tall he is. People always mistake him for a 5-year-old which makes him so proud. He still loves to eat and does a great job at meal times. The only foods he doesn't like are tomatoes and mushrooms. :)
LILIANA FAYE:
Liliana is our compassionate child. She is drawn to people in need or hurt and is there to give a hug and ask if they are okay. It never ceases to amaze me at how aware of other people's feelings she is.
Liliana has finally started getting into baby dolls and loves playing house with her brother. All her baby dolls are named Olivia (which is what she wanted to name her baby sister too!). She also loves drawing and writing, being a daredevil, riding her bike, and gymnastics. She LOVES gymnastics. She has been taking classes for a year now and is doing great. Since she is showing great potential, we moved her from the Farmington community ed gym to a "real" gym in Burnsville. We had our first class toady and she did great. We are very excited to see what will come of her love for and talent in gymnastics!
A few weeks ago Liliana told us that when she grows up she wants to be a pastor. We were floored that she came up with that idea -- and all on her own. Now, she often prays that God would help her be a pastor when she grows up. :)
It seems like just yesterday we were flying on a plane (scared out of our minds) to pick up Michael and Liliana. We are so blessed that God picked such wonderful children just for our family. And we are so excited to meet our twins and see how perfect they are for our family too.
It's been 12 weeks since we accepted our referral of our sweet twins. 12 LONG weeks. When we accepted our referral, the agency told us that it would take 10-12 weeks to prepare the twins' paperwork so that we could be submitted to court. I really didn't think it would actually take 12 weeks! At the end of last week, we got an email from our agency. They said the reason we've been waiting so long to be submitted to court is because they haven't been able to locate the birth mom. They need her consent to get a death certificate for the birth father (which happens to be the last piece of information needed to submit us for a court hearing). Apparently, if the whereabouts of the living birth parent is unknown, the police have to search for the parent for a certain amount of time before they can file for the death certificate without consent. That time was up today. So, today in Ethiopia, they filed for a death certificate for the twins' birth father. They should be able to pick that up on Wednesday.
Please join us in praying that the agency is able to get the death certificate this Wednesday and submit us for court before the end of the week. Also, pray for our babies' birth mother. Pray that she is safe and taken care of wherever she is.
If we are submitted to court this week, we are hoping (and praying!!) to travel to Ethiopia for our court hearing in July.
It's so incredible to have Michael and Liliana home during the ups and downs of this adoption process. Seeing them each day is a reminder that what feels like endless waiting is nothing in comparison to the joys of having the kids at home. It's crazy to think that Michael and Liliana have been home from 2 years already. They bring so much laughter, joy, and fun to our lives.
In light of them being home for two years, here is a little update about them!
MICHAEL:
Michael is our little rule-follower. He reminds me so much of myself! He loves sports, especially hockey, soccer, football, running, and tennis. He is very athletic and very competitive. Right now he is learning how to read and loves books. He loves to ride his 20" bike, swim, do art projects, watch TV and movies (which we don't allow during the summer unless it's raining!), and playing with babies. He is going to be such a wonderful big brother. He just absolutely loves playing with and help out with babies. He was so thrilled when our neighbors daughter was learning to walk. He would spend all his time coaching her to walk. It was adorable.
Michael has been adamant for over a year that he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. Although, every once in a while, he would throw in that he wanted to be a pilot too (like his uncle Trevor). Just a few weeks ago he changed his mind. He now adamantly wants to be an astronaut!
Michael has grown so much in the past two years from being a little, short, chubby boy -- to a tall, thin "big" boy. I can't believe how tall he is. People always mistake him for a 5-year-old which makes him so proud. He still loves to eat and does a great job at meal times. The only foods he doesn't like are tomatoes and mushrooms. :)
LILIANA FAYE:
Liliana is our compassionate child. She is drawn to people in need or hurt and is there to give a hug and ask if they are okay. It never ceases to amaze me at how aware of other people's feelings she is.
Liliana has finally started getting into baby dolls and loves playing house with her brother. All her baby dolls are named Olivia (which is what she wanted to name her baby sister too!). She also loves drawing and writing, being a daredevil, riding her bike, and gymnastics. She LOVES gymnastics. She has been taking classes for a year now and is doing great. Since she is showing great potential, we moved her from the Farmington community ed gym to a "real" gym in Burnsville. We had our first class toady and she did great. We are very excited to see what will come of her love for and talent in gymnastics!
A few weeks ago Liliana told us that when she grows up she wants to be a pastor. We were floored that she came up with that idea -- and all on her own. Now, she often prays that God would help her be a pastor when she grows up. :)
It seems like just yesterday we were flying on a plane (scared out of our minds) to pick up Michael and Liliana. We are so blessed that God picked such wonderful children just for our family. And we are so excited to meet our twins and see how perfect they are for our family too.
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