They are my kids too.

It has been difficult to turn on the "Mom" switch on Fridays at 7pm, and then turn it back off on Sunday evening when we drop them off. I love and miss them so much. They make me laugh, they break my heart, they keep me focused on my goals to give them a wonderful life. But I had no idea they would keep me up at night, worried about their future. Amaya whispers in my ear that she has no friends, and I am devastated for the rest of the night! She is shy and reminds me of myself when I was younger. I want to now run to the playground and force other girls to see how awesome she is! But, that's also scary. Ha!
So I can't just turn that switch off and wake up Monday morning and not think of her in the lunchroom with her little tray.
So I pray for them. I shop for them throughout the week, I pick out paint colors and browse through curtains to get ideas for their rooms in the new house.
They are my kids.

Happy Father's Day, 2010

Here is my Dad who is awesome. I first spoke to him when I was 15, then met him 8 years later. It's a great relationship thats a work in progress, but a wonderful and special one nonetheless. I have some wonderful qualities that I now know are from him. Thanks Dad, for making me awesome too! hahaha

7 Months Later...

Our Adoption Foundations Training classes are done. Yay!

Next week, I meet with the AMAZING casweworker who facilitated all of the classes, to turn in our application and set a date to get fingerprinted. This will start the criminal background check, which will take....2 months. Ugh.

If only I had some sort of decorating projects to keep me busy....

Moving Day!

Ok, not today. But some time next month, as we got the rental home we wanted. God is good.

This home has 3 bedrooms, a HUGE yard, a utility room/office off to the kitchen, and is in a good Portland location for us. God is SO good.

I think this home fits our family now, as well as our future family.

Yay!

New.

Good news! We have one more class left, to adopt a foster child. Our application will be turned in a couple weeks from now, after our last class.Then fingerprinting,background checks, and the home study. Then we will be approved. I am really excited.

We want to be matched up with a child ages 0-2, not gender specific. Madeline (the wonderful class instructor whose name I love) informed us that since that age range is so popular with families, it may take longer than the usual 6 month wait. Little does she know i've waited 31 years to be a mommy and I am learning to be patient. There is so much to do in the meantime. Between the adoption process, house hunting, school starting in the fall,working, spending time with Lito's kids. I'm listing all of those things, pretending the wait wont be agonizing. ha.

Many Things....

We are hunting for a new home for our soon to be growing family. We don't know when he/she will arrive, but we know God has something cooking :) And currently, our 3 kids are sharing ONE bedroom and this is not working well. So onward we hunt for our home.

On the adoption front, we are done with 6 of our 8 classes for adopting through the state. Then, the criminal/background checks, then the home study, and hopefully soon after, our son or daughter. I know we will adopt from Ethiopia someday, but for now, we are thinking more "locally" :)

I am excited for what awaits.