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!