Friday, July 12, 2013

 The Chinese are pouring a lot of money into ET.  So there is a lot of road construction making traffic even more crazy.
 Goats are a common site along the road.  Today I saw a man carrying a goat in a net on his back.  This guy in pic above is walking his goat down the road.
 Donkeys packing things through the city is also a common site.
 FUMES

Cyrus and his water bottle.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

a bit more about et and cyrus

So if you go for a walk on the streets of Addis Ababa, you better bring you hiking shoes or your mud boots and be ready to dodge traffic all the while keeping an eye on your feet because it is crazy out there.  The man holes are "covered" by three long stones some of which are no longer there so be careful you don't fall in because it is a very real possiblity. Walking on the street is also cyrus 's favorite pastime.  He squeals with delight waving his hands at everyone passing by, trying to grab anything and everything within his reach.
A water bottle is one of Cyrus's favorite toys.
Daddy and Cyrus on the couch in our room.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Cyrus

Cyrus has had some diarrhea yesterday and today. He seems a little better today.  He becomes a little stronger and more alert everyday.  He is so intent on seeing the world around him that he can hardly stand to go to sleep.  He loves to go on walks in the carrier facing outward, of course, waving to everyone passing by, smiling and charming them all.  He reminds me of Abe he did the same thing when we got him in Colombia.  We are falling a little more in love with him each day can't wait for you all to meet him.  Leigha

Thursday, July 4, 2013

a few pics


On the top picture we we are at kaldis or ET Starbucks we had some great mocha ice cream and Cyrus is gumming on a french Fri.
And the bottom pic is of Cyrus's first bath.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

more on ET

6. We are here at the beginning of the rainy season, so it rains almost every afternoon and most evenings, it cools everything off and washes the air clean.  It is winter here but it is usually about 70 degrees, so not the winter we are used to.
7. People are always sweeping here sidewalks, patios, porches, and courtyards.., but they throw their trash down where ever they are.  We can't really figure it out.  They have way less disposable trash so its not as bad as it would be in the US.
8.  Shopping is an adventure here. No Walmart and there isn't anything similar.  Their stores are more the size of gas station, with a fraction of the choices.  Makes me realize how spoiled we are.

We will go to the transition home again today to visit Cyrus and hope our letter gets written.
Leigha

Monday, July 1, 2013

Ethiopia

Here are a few things you might find when you come to ET.
1 traffic is like a huge game of frogger, people and vehicles dodging each other with great skill, if its your first time you will find yourself white knuckled and gasping, oh and if you get car sick, forget it, oh and don't forget the fumes enough to make you choke.
2  They have a saying in ET: Americans have the watches but we have the time. So true and good in some ways but not so great when trying g to complete paperwork quickly.
3. The people are quieter here.  The street can be completely full and people all around and yet it still isn't loud.
4. Shoe shine boys are everywhere.  Your shoes can look like new for 30 cents.
5. its common to see herds of goats running down a four lane street.

I will post some more later as I think of them.  Please pray we get our letter today and get to take Cyrus with us.
Thanks Leigha

Sunday, June 30, 2013

We haven't been posting as much because we've been spending all of our time at the transition home with our little guy.   Nothing else matters very much.  If the paper work goes as expected we will have legal custody on tuesday & will then be able to take him out of the transition home & keep him with us full time.  Until then we are basically just passing time.  Once he is legally ours we have to get a passport, pass a medical exam, and then get a visa to bring him into the US.  This should take 2 or 3 weeks, but who knows.  Little man needs to be home sooner than later, so this is all incredibly frustrating.  Please pray that the paperwork would go quickly so that we can bring our son home. Thanks!

BEN



Saturday, June 29, 2013

I thought I would give you an update of what we've been doing in Ethiopia since we got here.  A normal day starts at the guest house it's kind of like a hotel we  have a bedroom, sitting room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.  We only have internet in the lobby so we spend a lot of time there with other families who are adopting also.  They fix us breakfast every morning.  I haven't had much of an appetite so many new sites, sounds, and tastes just kind of throws the system off.  We haven't been sick which is a blessing.  After breakfast we go to the transition home which is where Hamza (that his ET name) we plan to call him Cyrus.  We spend the morning with him go out for lunch then back to the transition home spend more time with Hamza.  Then we head back to guest house, venture out on the street to find supper try to Skype with the kids and then off to bed, to do it all over again.

Friday, June 28, 2013

we didn't pass

So we didn't pass court but the jugde is ready to sign the moment our letter from moyca arrives  the moyca letter is basicly like a letter from cps in the states.  The problem is the next step is embassy  and they only submitt to embassy on wed and because our letter won't arrive until tues there won't be time to do the nessary paperwork needed for embassy submission this week.  So it looking like we won't be submitted to embassy for another 12 days, which at this point feels like an eternity.   So outside of a miracle it looks like we will be here a while.
Leigha

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Africa

We made to ethiopia.  We met Cyrus yesterday. It seemed
very surreal to finally be holding him in my arms. He seems to be laid back.  Though its hard to tell yet.   We have court on fri, that will be thurs while you all in the US sleep.  We would appreciate your prayers that all would go well. After we pass court we can post pictures. Thanks all we'll post more later.
Leigha

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

here we go again!!

If you don't already know we received a referral of a 10 month boy and we are leaveing today to go get him.  We should be in there 2-3 weeks.  We would appreciate your prayers.  We are looking forward to having Cyrus home.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

My Heart, Her Heart

Isaac holding his new baby cousin Lydia

As I sit outside enjoying the early morning quiet, Isaac wakes up and comes to find me.  He climbs up in my lap and snuggles in close under the blanket.  I'm enjoying the sweet feeling of holding my baby, all his sweetness and love.  I am overwhelmed with the privilege of being his mother, of being the one to get all these moments, to see his smiles, to comfort him, hold him, to be the one he calls mom.  Then I think of his birth mother, what if circumstances had been different.  My heart feels heavy guilty even.  But then the Lord whispers, I have chosen you for him don't try to carry the weight of a decision you did not make. So I'll rest in that, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways...For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9. It's hard to reconcile her great loss with my tremendous gain.  So I pray for her and trust in the ways of my God.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Under His Wings

As I sit outside this morning doing my devotions , birds are fluttering all around me.  The last several weeks the Lord has been speaking to me about my children that are not yet home, through the birds around me and the nesting they are doing to prepare for the little ones soon to arrive. So as I sit hear listening to the birds singing all around me, I am pondering a mental image from a book I recently read. A mama eagle perched in her nest with her 3 young chicks and a storm is raging all around.  The mama has a wing outstretched covering her babies, and under her wing they slept.

Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge...

so as I watched these birds fluttering around me another vs. came to mind Matthew 6:25-27, in these vs. Jesus is basically saying stop worrying, the birds don't worry and look how well they are cared for.  I don't need to worry about my precious baby birds in ET they are gently covered under the wings of the most High God. They will find refuge, though the storm rages all around, they will sleep peacefully under his feathers, finding refuge and care.  Thank you Jesus

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Twins perhaps

I found this picture about a year ago. It says A DOUBLE BLESSING at the bottom.  If you've ever been to our house you know I have a collection of these baby pictures hanging on my wall going up the stairs to the boys rooms.  After I found this picture I began to see twins everywhere at church, Walmart, in ads, and on TV. So I began to make a list of twin spottings and I soon gave up after about a month because there were too many to count.  I know this is God speaking to me as only he can, reassuring me, leading me gently along this long road of waiting, encouraging me with a double blessing at the end of this long adoption road.