A snippet about Mame...

I received a snippet about Mame today, from a mommy over visiting the orphanage in Addis Ababa. She said:

"Mame is such a good girl, such a mother hen and I have a picture she is saying 'HI MOM'."

A mother hen, huh? That will be nice to help with my growing brood, but maybe a challenge moving from being one of the oldest, to in the middle! But still the oldest sister, so maybe a little mother "henning" opportunities.

Although, we call Mary "little mama" sometimes, because she LOVES to boss around her brothers and try to make them obey me!

Oh my!

New Court Date for Olivia Mame

I just heard this morning, (after posting "No News" last night), that I have a new court date for Olivia Mame. Feb 26th. ....

No news about Hanna...

So back to waiting.

No news....

Back to waiting for new court dates. :) Hoping Hanna will be moved from Nazret to Hope soon, so she can meet her sister Mame.... Wanting to get photos and send a little photo album....but.....I don't know when she will move.

So just waiting for news.....

Joyful Leaping

I just found out, inspite of the financial challenges many companies are facing, my company is still giving us our yearly bonus in February.

Yippee! That cover the fees for Hanna and our flight costs.

Thank you Abba!

More Nesting....

I ordered the extra set of bunkbeds today for the girls room! So I will have room for all three of my girls, plus an extra bed for stuffed animals or sleepovers!

Plus I got two sets of under the bed drawers for both sets of beds in the room!

Yea~.

Now on to finding a while armoire...I have found that very difficult to find!

No news on a new court date yet......

Organizing the Nest

With Mame's court delay and with the addition of Hanna on the way, I have been into organizing the nest. I am so grateful to other large families on the yahoo group(s) I belong to and all their great ideas and suggestions.

(Denise, thank you for all your emails and great ideas! Makes me excited that it IS doable!)

I ordered a peg system for chores that someone recommended, http://www.familytools.com/

I have been telling family and friends..

Looking at bunkbeds, and bedroom armoires. Going into Mary's room and mentally rearranging it again and again, Scouting out where I will putup a set of hooks for coats by the back door (Thanks Denise for the idea) and a bench or box for shoes.... Last night we had our first dinner "buffet style" Rather than take all I cooked and move it from cooking dishes to serving dishes all over the table...I just put plates on the table and then one by one we went into the kitchen and I filled the kids plates...and then they could go back for seconds. Table was less cluttered, serving and clean up much easier! (Again thanks to Denise...wise wise woman!)

I made up my "honey do" list for my dad, Nick said I need to call it my "papa do" list.... I revamped my budget, caught up on bills, actually negotiated a lower interest rate on one... and I ordered a couple books....

I ordered the book from the Amazon on the Duggars with their family of 20! I was told it has lots of great ideas. http://www.amazon.com/Duggars-Counting-Raising-Americas-Families-How/dp/141658563X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231872910&sr=8-1

So nesting, big time. I wish I could post pictures of Mame and Hanna. I have this new one of Mame, I just LOVE and I only have one of Hanna, but she look so precious, and delicate and just quiet. How can a picture look quiet? I am not sure, but she does.

So God is so good to give me this nesting time.

My cup runneth over...

I will need to rename this blog ...won't I?

I am so happy and thrilled to announce, on our way to finding Olvia (Mame) we also found another little sister (big sister to Mary) too!

Although yesterday had the cloud of Olivia Mame not passing court and us having to wait on another courtdate, the Son broke through, shining bright with a referral of a second daughter from Ethiopia. Hanna, a precious little 6 year old...will be joining our family. I told you something was stirring in my soul and it wasn't cookie dough. Gotta go find that 5th apron.

I am just so thrilled. The kids are thrilled. I told them all last night and you would think it was Christmas again! Even Angela was grinning from ear to ear, perhaps thinking I am nuts, but still grinning.

So yes...we will be a family of 6, counting Momma. 6.2 counting Bella, our pint-sized Marley. I don't have a lot of details on Hanna, she is in Nazret right now, and I hope she will soon move to the orphanage, Hope's Place, where Mame is, so they can get to know each other.

(I am going to modify some things on this site, when I get a chance this week, to track the timeline of both the girls.).

So I am looking for a extra white twin bed, a new armoire, a white toy box... a few things to make our adjustment.

It was so funny, I told the kids one by one, starting with Nick...who was so excited he immediately was yelling for Tadpole to come here...when we got to Mary and shared with her, after her excitement she said. "And then we will have to get another boy for gege's"

Lol.

God is good and our hearts are full!

Full Hearts...

God is awesome and I could cry. :) He loves me...why else would he bless me with these wonderful children? I am doing good., even with the setback news today.

My kids are home from school, everyone is happy and I know our house will be growing...God is good.

So I need to find an armouire ( I have no idea how to spell that word.) for the girls room to hang dresses...and another bed..... I am wondering whether I should get another bunk bed, or just a single...hmmmm.

In this process, I did find out some more news about Mame....she is from a region of Ethiopia called Amhara....as well as a couple facts about her past I will not post. http://www.telecom.net.et/~ada/amhara.htm http://www.telecom.net.et/~ada/achievements.htm

And she is happy. oblivious to the impact of today. And I can already see God's hand in it.

Nope

we did not pass.

A missing piece of paper still. But God is in charge, I know..and no plan of His can be thwarted, so He must have a better timing. I appreciate prayers for a court date and a complete file.

something stirring......

......hmmmmm

not sure yet....but something is stirring....

how many aprons will I need?

When the sun rises in Africa tomorrow......

One day!

By this time tomorrow I may know! One day! just one! maybe, less than 24 hours.....

Giddy, giddy, giddy, giddy.......

I want to cry and laugh and giggle and goof off, all at the same time.

Ready to not be ready.....

I read a post today on a blog I follow (soul mama http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2009/01/out-of-nowhere.html) and a line shared about the arrival of his new son (bio) was that he knew he would not be ready, but he was "ready to not be ready".

I loved that.

It made me think of myself, and the other adoptive families. All of us awaiting our new additions. We prepare, we read, we share, we chat, we pray, we nest and gather, and organize, we dream and wish....

and get ready...

but we know the road is really unknown, both in the journey TO them, and then of course on the journey WITH them. So we know, whatever we do, we will never be truly ready. How can you be ready for whatyou don't know?

So it is peaceful to take on the thought of being ready to not be ready. Being ready to go with the flow, move with what happens, adjust, hug, share, pray and dream some more..

and face our futures...ours and theirs...with a ready heart.

God is ready.... Emmanuel...

It is Christmas in Ethiopia today... Merry Christmas Mame!

Soon a quartet?.........

Four days until court...

...3 if you don't count today

...or if you count today, but not Friday, since they are 9 hours ahead and I might hear at the beginning of the day....

yea....

5 Days....

tick tock tick tock...my court date is Friday. I saw this video made by Angel on her blog and she said others can post it. It is beautiful and such a testimony to families and hearts and God. http://thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com/ I have to share it.

Blessings to all....

In preparation...

I have been doing some book browsing today...and thought I would share some of my finds and what appealed to me regarding the book...Most I ordered used, from Amazon.com.

black is brown is tan (Paperback)by Arnold Adoff (Author), Emily Arnold Mccully

This one, because it is a picture book, and talks about multi-racial families.....

Colors Come from God Just Like Me (Hardcover)by Carolyn A. Forche (Author), Charles Cox (Illustrator) This one, is based on Genesis, and all the variety that God has created, including skin color....

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too (Paperback)by Adele Faber (Author), Elaine Mazlish (Author)

This one to educate myself on some different ways to handle the conflicts between my children.

We're Different, We're the Same (Pictureback(R)) (Paperback)by Bobbi Kates (Author), Joe

Mathieu (Illustrator) This one, because of its message and also the fun exercise of going through how we are alike and how we are all different, and not just because of skin color.

Holding Time (Paperback)by Martha G. Welch (Author), Mary Ellen Mark (Author) This one, because I am reading up on attachment and another parent recommended it, but also, because, I notice, even with my big boys (10 and 8) they love when momma holds them in her lap...even if they feel silly, and so does little Mary. Something I need to do more of.

Connection Parenting: Parenting Through Connection Instead of Coercion, Through Love Instead of Fear, 2nd Edition (Paperback)by Pam Leo (Author)

And last, but not least, the reason I went to amazon.com in the first place, to get this book, recommended by another mom: I Love You Rituals (Paperback)by Becky A. Bailey (Author)

So Friday is our new court date...I could wake up that morning and find out, I have a new daughter....after waiting for so long, it just feels so unreal....but I am so hopeful, with God and a new year, that this will be an awesome year in God for my family. He is faithful, sovereign and so very loving.

Relentless, he is relentless in His love and pursuit of us, regardless of how flawed I may be..and THAT gives me great hope.