Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Great Way to Ring In the New Year!!

I just got a little email form Toni (even though she is not officially working) that they recieved our box and our paperwork and have started prossesing our dossier in country and we should get a court date in about 5-6 weeks... Although we may not hear from them for awhile since all of this takes awhile to process. Just wanted to update you quickly.

I hope you all that read my blog have a wonderful new year!! And that 2009 will be a blessed year for everyone!!

May God Richly Bless You

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Merry Christmas

I am wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!! Always remember who birthday it really is!! Happy Birthday Jesus!!

So far we are having a great morning...Abby and Anna recieved nice gifts this year my dad and Kate got them their first Nintindo DS thing?? The girls have to share...Anna is kicking butt on the Narnia game...WOW they sure catch on quick!!
Either she's really good at it or it's beginners luck...but it is funny to watch!! She is only 6 and has hardly played one of these things. Aleena even recieved two gifts...we sure wish she was here with us...but she is in our thoughts and our hearts and we pray that she will be here next year!!

Bye for now...Merry Christmas

Friday, December 19, 2008

It's Official!!

We sent out our acceptance packet back today...overnight...it will be there to CHI next week!!

It will take awhile, for all the paperwork and before we know a court date. At least this step is done. Now we need to settle in and get ready to hear about a court date when we pass court then Aleena will be officially part of our family and if we pass court the first time we can travel 2-3 weeks after. But court right now is backlogged so we may not get a date till March or April.

Okay now that I am calmed down...

Okay, now that I am calm, I want to tell you how the whole thing happened...you know how they say; the "call" will come when you least expect it...well it did.

Several weeks ago, my friend Diana and I decided to host a ladies luncheon at my house for Christmas. December 17th was the day. We had a pretty bad snow storm the day before. And I thought maybe we would have to cancel. But, all my dear ladies came anyway. I spent all morning decorating and setting place settings. Anna wrote name tags and we lit candles. The luncheon was planned for 11am. No one showed up till 11:30am because of the roads. But in walked my faithful girlfriends; Diana, her mom Marjorie, and Diana's niece Kelly. Bev, Karen, Danielle and Carrie. These ladies have been my main support and have prayed, cried, and laughed with me in the last year during this adoption. We were all sitting around the table finishing up lunch. At 1:00pm the phone rang and guess what it was Toni!!

The ladies were talking and I just said, "this is it, this is our referral call!" You talk about some happy momma's and grandma's!! WOW...I was sooo happy that all of these dear woman were here with me. They even got to see her picture for the first time with me...it was like being in the delivery room.

I am so honored to share the moment of the "call" with these Godly wonderful supportive girl friends...So now you know that will be a phone call none of us will ever forget!!

And to top it all off Paul was on his way home...he came right in and saw the picture of Aleena. She is perfect. Just what he expected all along.

You see God does know the desires of your heart. He knows the right time and he knows the place...he knew several weeks ago, when Diana and I were making plans, what day would be perfect.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Our Referral Came Today!!

We got our referral today...WOW... She is a beautiful...a 19 month little girl...we are more then happy!! Our little Aleena has a face...Thank you Lord...Due to Ethiopian laws we cannot post a picture or email pictures till after we pass court...please pray for a quick court date and a first time court passing...
Thank you for all of your prayers!!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Our Waiting is Getting Longer and Longer

For those of you who read my blog, our waiting is getting longer...it doesn't look like we will be getting a referral in 2008. I don't know why a toddler is taking so long. But God knows. He has Aleena out there right now God has His arms wrapped around her keeping her safe.
CHI is closed the 22-2nd and so now referrals will not be given until 2009. I am trying to be positive. I have my good days and bad days. Now, they are saying that court is taking longer. So if we get our referral say around the first of January we may not be able to go until April...that is, if we pass the first time. I am having trouble staying positive. I am kinda aggravated that it is going like this, but I do know that it is out of my control. Adoption can be a roller coaster ride.

There were two referrals yesterday both sibling groups. I'm sure those are the last ones till after the first of the year. So please continue to pray with me and Paul. Pray that Aleena will be kept safe until we hold her in our arms...Pray that I won't be so disappointed...I know in my heart, it is in God's time, but human nature wants to get really MAD!! I want my little girl!!
I also realize that her birth family could be loving on her and enjoying the last minutes with her right now, I would never want to take that away.

Okay so a little venting and an update... have a good weekend!!
dee

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Quote of the Day

"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits."– Thomas A. Edison

Saturday, December 6, 2008

How to Celebrate an Ethiopian Christmas

  1. Make sure to set up a manger scene that includes the Three Magi. Legend has it that the king bearing frankincense was King Balthazar of Ethiopia, .

  2. Infuse the celebrations with the essential oil frankincense, which was traditionally a gift suitable for a high priest. Today you can mix frankincense with spices or seeds to create different aromas, or you can burn frankincense incense.

  3. Attend a local Christian Orthodox service if there are any nearby. Keep in mind that the services sometimes require that men and women sit in separate areas and that services can last up to three hours.

  4. Sing carols and carry candles either during the service or afterwards.

  5. Prepare an Ethiopian feast for the Christmas meal that includes a main course, such as doro wat (a spicy chicken stew), injera bread (flat round bread) and homemade wine or beer. Keep in mind that injera bread is used to scoop and eat food, hence replacing utensils. The Christmas meal, which is served January 7, is preceded by major preparations that include the purchase and slaughter of an animal (typically a goat or cow).

Encourage the children to play ganna or leddat, which is a form of field hockey in which sticks with hooks on one end are used. The game is played by two opposing teams and the stick and ball are made from locally grown trees. In Ethiopia the teams often represent certain regions and the rivalry can be fierce. According to tradition, shepherds celebrated when they heard of Jesus' birth by playing such a game.

Tips and Warnings:

There are no Christmas trees in a traditional Ethiopian Christmas. However, Christmas trees, sparkles and artificial snow have begun to spring up in the capital city of Addis Ababa.


The exchange of gifts is not customary for Christmas in Ethiopia. The one exception to this is that some families give children new clothing as a part of the celebrations.


The word Ganna is used interchangeably with the word Christmas to mean the birth of Christ (leddat). A common way to refer to the holiday is "ye ganna baal".


Ethiopia is a country with more than 80 languages and many cultural influences, so Christmas traditions are often diverse and cannot be generalized. The preceding steps represent a few local traditions that may or may not be appropriate for your personal celebration of Christmas.