Seattle AGCI/Ethiopia Group Potluck

Today, we celebrated multi-cultural families with our Seattle AGCI/Ethiopia Group Potluck!!!

***Disclaimer: I'm STILL learning names...I tried my best...please correct me if I got some wrong.  There were a LOT of new people to meet =)***

There was GREAT food...

GREAT families...

Good-lookin' kiddos...

Jack and Janice with Shannon and her crew!!!

(Love those "Adoption Rocks" tshirts like I do??? 

Purchase one on Shannon's blog and support their adoption!)

Shannon - It was so wonderful to finally meet you and your wonderful family!  You're just as wonderful as you seem in the blogsphere!  ;)  Looking forward to many more memory-making get togethers!

It was sooo fun to meet new people and put names to faces!

It was even funnier to have people know me from my blog!

Naomi and Amber with their little cuties!

Thank you ladies for joining us today...I had SO much fun talking with both of you!

Thank you LORD for a beautiful day!!!

Darcee brought these baby grapes for the little ones...Monkey was IN LOVE!

Darc - you are a woman after my own heart with such a love for food!  Not to mention you and my hub's sense of humor could keep me laughing for days (not to mention the both of YOU)!  I have so enjoyed getting to know you and your family and I'm excited for girls close in age (probably).

Oh. My. Word.  Good food!

Loved this conversation....Arvin and Janice were exchanging stories about Hannah's Hope while Justin and Niki soaked up the information and gathered tips (they are next in line for a referral in our group and #7 on the boy's list - woot woot!!)!

Niki - I have loved getting to know you more and more through the last few months and your heart for adoption is inspiring!  Thank you for becoming such a wonderful part of our lives.  I am so excited to celebrate WITH you on this next leg of your journey...I get tears just thinking about the excitement to come!  Like you said, next get together is a REFERRAL celebration! =)

HAVE to add some pictures of MY little kiddo here you know! =)

This waterpark was amazing...

Can I hear a playdate in the works SCC ladies!?! ;)

Janice - your little guy is just precious and his expression never fails to put an ear-to-ear smile on my face!  His politeness, his sweetness, and his sharing is such a great testiment to your parenting!  And it is SO sweet to see him with his little sister.  Just in love over here ;)  Thanks to you both for being so open and honest about the whole journey and walking the rest of us through what is to come.  Shaya is such a joy and we just can't wait to be in your shoes! =)

Loved seeing the guys enjoying conversations as much as us ladies did!

The Amelie Apology =)

Ann-Marie - thank you for bringing your beautiful family and getting to know us more!  I can't believe we live so close and never knew!!!

Amelie made a new best friend in Maggie!

This woman is AMAZING with children (of ALL ages).  She just gets down on their level like none other. 

Tarah, you are going to make an incredible mother!  I cannot wait to see your life transform by expanding your family.  Thank you for becoming such a BIG part of our lives and being such a blessing to us.

Monkey chasing around the bikes...

Niki has a group photo we took (we didn't want the kind stranger who offered to take our picture to be overwhelmed with 17 cameras...lol) and I'll be sure to post it when it makes it over this way.

Thank you to all the families who joined us in this fun day and helped make memories to last a lifetime!  We look forward to MANY more...

Power in Prayer

In my Bible readings the last couple days, I feel God pointing me to verses about the power of prayer.

"And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well.  And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven." James 5:15

"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." James 5:16b

"I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain." Psalm 3:4

"Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.  Each morning I bring my reuests to you and wait expectantly." Psalm 5:3

"The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer." Psalm 6:9

Some of you saw my post last week about my conversation with our caseworker.  I asked her for her honesty in regards to the timing of bringing our Lil Miss home.  As any adoptive mother would understand, I don't want to get my hopes up for an unrealistic timeframe and be crushed with disappointment when my "goal" date passes us by and Lil Miss is not yet home.  But even after that honest and heartfelt conversation, I still can't give up that hope that we can have her home by the end of this year.  Yes, its possible...but highly unlikely.  And yet here I sit...hopeful.  I don't know if that is just some desperate part of me holding on to my sanity...or if that's God...but regardless, its there.  When people ask me what our timeline is, I tell them we are expecting a referral in December and home possibly by early Spring...but I REALLY feel in my HEART that it will be earlier.

With all the movement we've had on the list in the last couple weeks (I want to say it was 9 spots in about 3 weeks?!?) it has sparked an excitement on me.  But that being said, we just got word that the courts will be closing for the rainy season and are scheduling court dates now for OCTOBER!  This has taken SUCH a toll on those families who have recently received a referral.  Realistically, without court dates, children won't be moving out of the beds at Hannah's Hope and coming home to their forever families...therefore new beds won't be opening at HH.  Most often, this causes a slow down in referrals during the summer.  And yet here I sit...HOPEFUL!  I seriously don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.  =)

Ultimately this whole situation is completely out of MY control and in GOD'S hands (thankfully, because He knows whats best for me).  But I have been convicted to pray like I haven't prayed before.  Earnestly.  In faith.  Every day.  Expectantly. 

I am praying that this court process will go unexpectedly quick for ALL families...to the point that we all laugh at our fears and uncertainty about the two-trip process.  I am pleading that referrals do NOT slow down this summer, and in fact that they SPEED UP and God just blows our socks off with His timing.  I am praying that we can be HOME with Lil Miss before the end of the year and be united as a family.  But ULTIMATELY, I am praying for HIS perfect timing and the LORD'S will be done.  And I pray with expectation that the Lord will answer my prayer...whether or not He answers the way I want Him too, I am confident that His perfect timing WILL blow my socks off.  Every piece of this adoption story has so far, and I can't wait to see how it will unfold before our eyes!

I LOVE Making Memories!

Last weekend we made wonderful family memories camping.  I know that some of you immediately cringe at the thought of camping...but let me explain!  Tent trailer, bathrooms/showers in walking distance, full electrical hook up, mini stove in trailer, outdoor grill, walk out the trailer door to the beach...  Doesn't sound too bad, does it?!? 

So not only did the three of us have a great time, but we had a great time with my parents, my siblings (most, at least), and lots of friends....some were even strangers!  This annual camping event is put on my (see if you can follow this...) my brother's wife's parents (ok that wasn't that hard =) and called "Church Camp".  I don't know if it origionally started (23 or 24 years ago) with a church group...but its pretty fun.  But you probably don't want ME to do the talking...so I'll let the pictures take over!! =)

Monkey and Lil Chick

Me and my sweet niece, Lil Chick =)

Gabbaliscious!

Such a BOY!  He WOULD have to find the mudpit!  At least he likes being cleaned off...right!?!  NOT!

Monkey's favorite way to COOL OFF!

I KNOOOOW I promised not to show any bikini pics...but I didn't think Gabby would mind.  PLUS...she looks just too cute NOT to show off!  =)

Yummy baby burgers...minus the meat!

Grandma's special kiddo camping chair!

The UBER-hilarious duckies!

Ice Cream Social - woohoo!!!

Bedtime for Lil Man!

I love my brother! =)

Exploring Winthrop...with a squirt gun, of course!

Introduce Yourself!!!

When I started this blog it was (and still is) mostly for me.  I am a very expressive person (as those of you who know me see lived out) and blogging is a huge outlet for me.  But even more importantly, it has been a way to record what has been going on in Monkey's life and in our adoption journey so we can some day look back on it with our kids!  As you know, adoption has been a roller coaster of emotions.  But recording all our "milestones" and seeing how God has carried us through the rough patches will be so amazing to reflect on down the road.

The other reason I started this blog is because I have family all over the place.  Currently we have a brother living in Germany and we live about two hours from even our parents and siblings!  This is a way to keep family updated on what's going on in our lives and the silly day-to-day stuff....not to mention updating our aunts and uncles who we don't see very often.

That being said, this blog is also for YOU!  If you are reading this right now, hopefully its because you care for our family, or you find some enjoyment out of being here.  Thank you for stopping by!  It brings me immense joy to see how many hits our blog has had and all the sweet comments I get!

So... I just got my weekly traffic report for this blog: 

Visits

Total ........................ 3,258

Average per Day ................. 27

Average Visit Length .......... 1:37

This Week ...................... 186

So I'm curious here...I get about 27 hits a day, but I'm lucky if I get 3-5 comments.  Who are all my readers out there?!?  I know which immediate family members do and do not read my blog (which again, is okay because this is mostly for me) so these numbers just astound me!  Especially since I don't even know HALF of my readers!  (If you ever wonder why it surprises me when you mention something to me in person about my blog, that's why, lol!)  If you don't comment, email, or talk to me in person about my blog, I have no clue you are out there reading (which again is ok....but curiosity is getting me here)! 

Sooooo, I have a little exercise to get to know my readers and I would be OVERJOYED if you would participate!  It's easy (and you don't even need a blogger account to do it - you can leave a one-time comment as "anonymous", but please leave me your name at the bottom of your comment so I know who you are ;)!  And if you leave me a link to your blog (if you have one) I would love to visit and get to know YOU more!

Just leave a comment answering these three questions about yourself or shoot me an email (bringourangelhome@gmail.com) - go ahead, it will make my day! ;)

1. What is your favorite thing to do as "me-time"?

2. What would be your dream vacation spot?

3. If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, what would be your last meal?

4. (Optional) How did you stumble upon my blog?

Kiddo Kuteness! =P