Happy Birthday Saron

Today is your first birthday, sweet baby girl.
I pray that this will be the last birthday you'll spend in an orphanage.

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, Robby, Haley, Aubrey, Sammy, and Shay

COURT DATE!!!

I've gotten to the point where I never thought I would post those two words. I can't believe it! We have a court date. It's on December 8. Only three days after the one-year anniversary of our precious daughter's death.

October 31st, Halloween, marked the one-year anniversary of Josi officially becoming our daughter, and as December is approaching quickly, I was starting to get anxious knowing that I would be a rough time for me. But now... NOW... I have something so good and exciting to look forward too. (Thank you God for your perfect timing.) Saron's birth mother has to show up to court on that day to be available to speak and sign her name off one last time relinquishing herself as her mother. Saron's birth mother is ill with HIV Aids and as a result, has decided to make a plan for her daughter so that she will not be orphaned when she passes. (Saron's birth father has already died from HIV.) I just pray that she is healthy enough to make the trip. Please pray with me that we will pass court and that Saron's birth mother is healthy enough to make the trip to the Addis Ababa court house. My heart aches for this woman and the sadness she must feel. I hope she feels some joy in her heart as she learns that her daughter will be loved on and cared for her entire life and most importantly taught about Jesus and his wonderful plan for her.

Now... I can start preparing for a daughter, a baby girl, to join our family.

Long Overdue Photo Update on My Family

It's been so long since I've posted anything that's not adoption-related. I thought I'd at least post some photos of our summer and some of fall. I tried to make them in order, but some may not be.

Sammy and our friend Richie at a summer evening Dodger game.

Best Buds.

Shay with his women.

Haley and her friend, Anna.

Shay playing with the yucky green water.

Getting ready for a lot of dirty work.

Daddy, pooped out after hours and hours and days and days of preparing for our new swimming pool.

Having fun in the mud.

Yeah.... Mud

A little cold after the mud bath.

Aubrey with a little mud.

Sammy with a little mud.

Let the mud-fest begin.

Haley with a little mud.

This is too much fun!

Helping daddy on the Bobcat.

Shay is clean, (and adorable)! For the moment.

This is how deep our pool is.

Shay's not clean anymore. These boys LOVE the mud. This was probably the worst two weeks of my life. There was mud in every crack and crevice of these boys. Not to mention, the mud and dirt in my house.

Yea!!! It's FINALLY over. The pool took 3 weeks to the day from start to finish. Here it is filling up.

The boys in the cave.

All the kids on the cave.

So pretty at night.

Great pic of Robby, except for the background of the wheelbarrow and trash behind.

Sammy fell and hit his head on the fireplace hearth. No stitches, thankfully, just butterfly tape for a week to hold it together.

Aubrey doing her schoolwork.

Proof, that daddy likes Homie.

Halloween 2009

Sammy wearing his Full Armour of God.

A pic of Robby's new, (I hesitate to say "first,") tattoo.
It is called a Chi-Rho. The "P" and the "X" are the Greek letters which begin the name Jesus Christ. The "A" and the "O" represent the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet, and symbolize Christ as being the first and the last as He says in his Word.

Desert sunset.

Sammy doing his schoolwork.

Two resting Turkey Vultures perched on our Joshua Tree. They migrate to Mexico for the winter.

Another Dodger Game.