Drum Roll PLEASE!!!

Tonight I got the rough draft of our home study report. Let me explain a little more. Over the last two months, all of the meetings with the social worker, the forms to fill out, the finger prints to get done have come together for this final report. This is the report that will be filed with both the Ethiopian government and the United States Government. It basically tells about our lives in 8 pages or less... which I thought she did a great job of doing since I know when we had to write it ourselves, it was over 10 pages for me and 9 for Ricky... lol! So anyway, there were a few little things here and there but for the very most part, she really did an amazing job. I would highly recommend working with Bethany Christian Services, specifically Eleanor Young, if you are interested in international adoption or even domestic adoption. She is great!

Reading the home study draft for me was emotional in a way I was not expecting. Along this journey we had to choose 4 references that would stand behind our character and abilities to parent and raise happy, healthy children. To read what these people, whom we already love so much, wrote about our family was touching. A gift that I think God knew I needed right now. Thank you, our 4, for taking the time out of your incredibly busy lives to help us get one step closer to bringing home Grace.

Some Prayer Requests now: My heart has been filled with sadness the last couple weeks and I know part of that is coming from me feeling like my daughter (whom we have yet to know anything about) is somewhere with us on Christmas. I can't hold her on Christmas morning. I know that seems weird, to love someone so much you feel loss, but you haven't met them yet??! But that is how I am feeling, and I am praying for the Lord to give me peace as we wait.

Also if you could be praying now, that it would work out for Ricky to go with me to Ethiopia. There are several factors that would play into this: Time off work, the extra funds for his plane ticket and in country costs, and also for extended child care for the boys while we are gone. It will be about 8 days and I don't have any idea what time of year it will be when we go get her. Pray for the Lords perfect timing and provisions for this part of the process. I really want him to travel with me to get Grace, and I think it would be amazing for him to be able to be apart of that experience.

Thank you all again for your love and support, you mean so much to us!