normally I don't go in for the majorly sentimental but...

...I'm a complete SAP these days!

Here's a poem that one of the other waiting moms shared this week...I just wanted to keep it close so you have to endure it as well. I love my children in Addis and I cannot wait to bring them home to stay. THe waiting is difficult. I wonder what they think, now that we haven't been to visit them for a couple of days. Do they think we've forgotten them? Do they wonder if we'll be back? We asked one of the caretakers at the center to tell them as we told them goodbye the last day that we will be back for them in a few weeks. I hope they understood...but I can't see their minds...anyway...this is for my waiting children in Addis:

Kisses in the Wind (a Waiting Child's Lullaby)

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

"Congratulations...they are yours."

...these are the sweetest words I've heard in a LONG time!

Because this is what the judge said at the end of our hearing. (read: brief dialog about our adoption)

She was very kind, soft spoken and efficient. We went into the waiting room at around 9:30 a.m. and we were in there with about 20 other waiting people. We were called in alphabetically by the name of the orphanage that received our children when their birth father surrendered them at the beginning of this year. We were 'B' so we went in very soon. It was very fast...maybe 5 minutes. We answered her questions about where we live and the preparations we had made to be adoptive parents and then...it was over...she stamped our papers with a flourish and said "Congratulations...they are yours." with a smile...And it was done. Just like that.

this was just after the left the judge's chambers...note the tissue in hand ;-)

just after we walked out of the building with the other families who passed as well! It was a bit windy!

In the eyes of Ethiopia, we are their legal parents...but the eyes of the US still have to be convinced.

So we wait for our US Embassy appointment assignment when we will get our children their US visas (and then we'll rush to the italian embassy praying they give us visas as well).

And so... it gives me GREAT joy to tell you that we are now officially a family of 7!!!!

We are the EXTREMELY happy parents to:

Eden Eyerusalem Joy

and Canaan Eyasu

I'm completely wiped so I'll just leave you with a couple more pictures then I need to go and snag a nap. I can't wait to fill you in on our trip and all of our time with the kids...they are a real joy!!!

Thank you all for your prayers...keep them coming for the Embassy details to be worked out...

We love you and we are VERY happy!!!!!!!!

playing outside at the care center

it took her a while to warm up to us...we had to work very diligently...such is toddler adoption...

she really loves Daddy though...

heading to Ethiopia

So, Jared and I will be leaving tomorrow on a red-eye to Addis Ababa from Rome. It's a 6 hr flight that leaves Rome at 1:00 a.m.

Our friends, Dudley and Janet have graciously volunteered to come and stay with our children while we are gone, taking over parenting young ones again for a few days. They raised 5 great kids here in Italy who all live in the States now.

Will you pray for us please?

Pray for me (Rebekah) to have peace and calm in the travel, since you all know it's not my favorite thing and I struggle with being really nervous. Pray that we will rest quite a bit on the flight so that we are ready to see our kiddos and for the busy days that await us in Addis.

Pray that we have favor with the judge on Tuesday.

Pray that we will have favor with the Italian embassy and that the details for getting the children into Italy after the adoption is complete will be worked out completely.

Pray that we will have good health and safety in all the travelling.

Pray for Dudley and Janet as they care for our children.

Pray for our kids in Italy (and their parents) as we are apart for the longest we've been apart since moving to Italy.

Pray for our introduction to our kids in Addis. Pray for their hearts to be soft toward us and for bonding to start even with this visit. Pray for us all as we have to be separated after only a couple of days together. Pray protection over our children's hearts, that no damage will be done through this.

I know that's a lot. But we truly need you to cover us in your prayers. We need your intercession because we very much want this to glorify God and want to see His hand upon us in all that we do-- in the next few days especially. We cannot do this in our own strength and we need you to hold the ropes for us, so that when we are weak, your prayers will be heard on our behalf.

Thank you all. We can't WAIT to post pictures when we get back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE PASSSSSSSSSSSSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything went smoothly! It was a terrible wait, but we PASSED! Technically we are allowed to share pictures now, but since there's still a very small chance that things might not work out, Jared feels that we should wait until we come home after our trip next week...so ...sorry...if it were up to me, I'd share NOW! Blame Jared if you are impatient.

Thank you for praying!

Keep praying for our trip and our progress through the last step!

P.S. Joy had her baby...Charlie Rio...7 pounds 9 ounces, 20 in... healthy and good-looking :-D

P.P.S. The McNees (our friends here in Rome) are still laboring but are progressing...so hopefully baby boy will be here sooooon!! We'll have a full house tonight! We love that we got the announcement that we passed court to become a family of 7 while we were practicing doing just that! ;-D

are you praying????

I hope you are because we haven't heard ANYTHING yet...I'm a MESS!! I'm trying to be patient but it's not working...and then there's Jared who is cooly and calmly reading for his class, not bothered at all! ugh. The day is over in Addis (the work day, that is) and I'm stalking my email...refreshing the page over and over...I'm a little nuts.

To add to the crazy of the day, my sis-in-law is having her fourth child this morning and we haven't heard anything from the family yet...we should have heard by now for that too! and then this morning our friends who live near us called and told us they were in labor...we were so excited! We are keeping their two kiddos (4 and 2) while they are 'otherwise occupied' and we haven't heard how their labor is going either....ALL I WANT IS NEWS!!!!!!

So, if you get this, please pray...pray for Joy (my sister having the baby in Oklahoma), pray for Janelle (our friend in labor here in Rome), and pray for us...that we will hear good news soon...VERY soon!!!