It's been awhile...

We still haven't heard much on our second adoption, and I know it has been too long since I have shown off our lil' pride and joy. They get so big so fast. So for those of you still out there...

Prayers...

This blog has been devoted to the journey we are enjoying with Yedidiya, and in time is to turn into our journey to bring home our daughter, Zahara. While I thought I would be writing more on that journey by now, truth be told, we haven't seen much movement and are now expecting it much later than we had originally hoped. We just recieved an e-mail from our agency changing the wait times for infant girls from 7-11 months to 11-18 months. They also stated that "wait times currently show a trend of increasing". As we were hoping to have a referral for our little princess by Christmas, this was almost heartbreaking for us as the trials of the adoption process are again setting in on us.

We humbly ask that you would pray for us, for our little girl, and for Ethiopia that God would continue to be in control and do things in His perfect timing and that we would have the power to trust in him.

Thanks for being there for us.

Happy 2nd Birthday Yiah!

Happy Birthday Yedidiya!!! We love you!!

Two at the Zoo

For his 2nd birthday, we took Yiah to the zoo. He loved the animals and telling us what noises they all made (especially the lion and the monkey). I think his favorite animal though was a snake, and his least favorite was the swan (in his defense, it nipped his hand twice looking for food. It was a mean swan). And while the animals were all well and good, the absolute favorite 2 things at the zoo...

the carousel and the choo-choo (of course)!

Update

So, I know that it has been a while since we have posted, yet again. A valid excuse would be that it is busy being a parent of an almost 2 year old, but that doesn't fly becuase we love every minute of it. I guess that we were hoping to be updating you on the happenings of the adoption of our little girl by this time. Truth be told we are at a dead stand-still there. We have been DTE since Feb. 4th, and I think there have been 2 referrals since that time. Unofficially, we are about 40th in line for an infant girl. We are truly hoping to have a referral by Christmas.

The wait this time around has been easier because we have little Yiah around. He amazes us every day. While he is getting close and showing signs of the terrible 2s, he is such a fun loving, happy and bright little guy. The other week he walked up to a sign and started telling us what letters there were. We had no idea how he knew that, but we have been working with him since! His favorites are still tractors, choo-choos, and cars n trucks. Daddy has taught him to draw his bow everytime he sees a deer (with all the John Deere logos around), but our favorite is when you ask him who loves him. His first response, "JESUS!" Then when asked who else we get "Mama" and "Daddy".

There are so many more things I could tell you about, but I figured those of you still following the blog or checking in from time to time might like some updated pictures. So here they are, the joy of our life!

From our trip to the John Deere Commons in Moline

95° today in Iowa- Cooling off

Boys will be boys...

Oh, the beautiful months of February and March. So much to look forward to when you live in the country off a gravel road. At least we know that Yiah will enjoy it. Lets just say he is all boy!

Yiah's BIG Announcement

So, why drag out Christmas posts on our blog for so long??? Well, there is a reason for all that. You see, Yedidiya had a BIG announcement for our families at Christmas, and we have been spending that last month making sure to share the news with everyone here at home in person. Now that we have finally felt like we have accomplished that, he can finally tell all of you!!!

Yiah is going to be a big brother!!! We are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia!!!

We are so excited and it has been killing me waiting to share it with all of you, but the timing worked out quite well actually. You see, during the last week of January, we completed all our paperwork and certifications and sent everything to AWAA. We were officially DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia) on February 4th! While our dossier has to go through some transitions and a translation first, this step technically means we could recieve a referal if they match us with a child. However, realistically, the amount of time to recieve a referal from the DTE date has been roughly 7-11 months. So we are anxiously and excitedly waiting!! And we can't wait to share more with you as we experience this wonderful journey again!!

Still More Christmas!

And don't forget about Grandpa and Grandma Thayers! More fun, more spoiling, and more love for little Yiah!

Yiah's First Rose Bowl!

Yiah sees a motion W and identifies it as "badgers". He knows who Bucky is. When #1 makes a catch and daddy cheers "Tooooooooooooon!, he joins in. And if you ask him what Badgers do, he will put both arms in the air and attempt to say "touchdown!".

While the outcome wasn't what we had hoped, it was an important step in the growth of the next big Badger fan. So look out Iowa, you are going to have another Badger fan to deal with!

Go Bucky!

More Christmas!

One Year Ago...

A year ago today at this time, I was undoubtedly sitting on the bed in our small room in the heart of Addis Ababa recalling one of the most eventful days of my life and the countless emotions that I experienced that day. You see, one year ago this very night was the last night we ever had to spend without our family being together.

It was one year ago today that we cried at the sight of the America World sign outside of the transition home gate, and one year ago that we waited on the steps for Yedidiya's nanny to bring him out and place him into our arms for the first time. We finally got to hold him, kiss him, tell him that we loved him and that we had longed for this day. What a memory. It seems like forever ago, yet is still so vivid.

To sum up our first 4 hours together as a family, I would say, he cried. A lot. He played a little, peed on dad for the first time, ate and slept, but mostly cried. We wondered if we had gotten ourselves in over our heads. But even with how difficult it was for him to spend 4 hours with complete strangers and for us to spend 4 hours with a screaming child, it was perfect. We were a family dealing with these things as a family. And as hard as it was to hand him back to the nannies, I felt great to say, "We'll see you tomorrow."

And that tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. January 19th, 2010 Yedidiya came home with us and we were finally united as a forever family. One wonderful, blessed, joyous, and exhausting year ago!

Our Family Christmas (Part 1)!

A lot went into our first family Christmas. Picking out just the right presents, sticking to a budget (sort-of), decorating, anticipation... all for the world's most precious 1-year old, who won't remember one bit of it. So, as a good father, I had to remind Laura that this Christmas isn't about him, its about us!!! (He he he!)

I remember so well last year, when he wasn't home yet. Yes, it was Christmas, but there was a giant piece missing. Our son. This year, our entire family was in place. And what a joy it was. To see him open each present (which he now had figured out), play with each toy, and giggle and smile. It reminded me of Christmas when I was a kid. That joy was back, the excitement of opening presents. And not for me, for him. It now made sense what my parents had said for years before. I didn't need any gifts, I had everything I needed right there in front of me. My family. My beautiful wife. My precious son. Who could ask for anything more?

Spoiled!

Our first Christmas of the year started off at Grandpa and Grandma Schwartz's. And while I use the word spoiled, I think blessed is a better word. Both of our families have embraced Yiah with such love, and it comes out in the form of presents at Christmas! And while he did get a little Christmas in January last year, it was wonderful to have him home for his family Christmas this year!

Yedidiya really enjoyed the entire day, reading books with Grandma, playing with Grandpa, and looking at tractor, train, and badger videos on the computer with Aunt Kristen. When it came time for his gifts, you could tell it was a new idea to him. While he loved what was inside once they were open, I don't think he got the concept quite yet of opening the gift and that inside each one was another item for him. At times he was more focused on the last present, the box or some bows and ribbon. But it was a blast. By the end, he started figuring out to tear off the paper, but I think he was a little overwhelmed by the whole experience. I know that I was. Christmas lesson number one as a dad: The child's desire to have a toy right now is directly corresponding to the difficulty of getting that toy out of its packaging.

Christmas with a little one is so much more fun!

Winter Activities

Wow! For a kid who comes from a place that doesn't get snow, he sure doesn't mind the cold one bit! In fact, I think he LOVES it!!! His favorite, by far, is sledding. And with Christmas break we finally get a lot of time to get outside as a family and do those activities together. It is so much fun!! He must enjoy it as he usually gets mad at us when we make him come inside.