Raingutter Regatta and more

Devin was the overall winner for the Raingutter Regatta. We are so proud of him. He made his boat all by himself!!! Ethan helped the regatta run smoothly. Great job Scouts!!!
Here are a few photos of the big event!





I just had to add this photo of Isabelle. Chris said the 80's are definitely back.

New court date - again!

You would think we would get used to the emotional ups and downs of adoption, but we don't! We just want our little girl home. We thought she would be home by now, but that is what we get for thinking. LOL

We just found out that our case will be heard again on May 7th!

We will keep you posted, but please keep our little girl in your thoughts and prayers.

90th birthday, yard work and more!

My Grandpa turned 90 last weekend! He is a wonderful Grandpa and has a special connection with all our kids. My parents came into town for the celebration and brought their new Yorkie (Molly). The kids loved the little puppy - no surprise. We also got to see Aunt Roberta and Cousin Jamie and his family. It was a lot of fun.


We also started working on our deck. We were just going to put a new railing up, but when we started the project we found out it needed to be torn down. It is back up except for the railing. The kids were very helpful, and I think we wore the little ones out.





Riley started feeling sick on Monday night. He is now almost over Hand, Foot and Mouth. He didn't feel good at all. Poor guy, but he looks happy at the doctor's office.


Finally, Sunday night while we are sleeping our case for R will be heard in Ethiopia. Our agency should contact us on Monday to let us know how it went. Please pray that we pass!

New court date!

We are happy to announce we have a new court date. It is April 26th! We would appreciate your thoughts and prayers that we pass!
Also, we learned today that R finally started walking. She took her time, but we are so thankful for this milestone.

We are the Truth - Adoption Blogger Day

From the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JSCIS):

We Are The Truth

A Campaign and Call to Action


The outrageous treatment of Artyem by his adoptive family has rightfully resulted in outrage by the Governments of Russia and the United States and all who care about children. The tragedy has cast a light on intercountry adoption that says it is not safe, the system failed and adopted children cause insurmountable problems. The heartbreak of Artyem Saviliev’s abandonment has once again elevated a singular incident to a level which may result in the suspension of intercountry adoption. Suspending adoption, even temporarily, will only cause thousands of children to suffer the debilitating effects of life in an orphanage.

Today is Adoption Blogger day. So below is the truth about our adoptions. It is a very abbreviated version because words will never express all the blessings we have received from adoption and our children.

We started our family with two "homegrown" boys! We learned about the plight of orphans and felt that it was the perfect way to grow our family.


So we added a little girl from Guatemala. She was 3 years old when she came home. She is now a beautiful, smart and loving little girl.






Next, we added a baby girl born in S. Korea to our family. She was born very prematurely, but now is a bright, sweet and amazing 4 year old.






A few years later, we felt like someone was missing. This time we added a baby boy born in S. Korea. He is the busiest, funniest little 2 year old I know. He is also a great cuddler.
!




We are in the process again. We are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. She is around 2 years old. We can't wait to bring her her home.

This is our TRUTH about adoption.

Our family’s like a patchwork quilt,
With kindness gently sewn.
Each piece is an original,
With beauty of its own.
With threads of warmth and happiness,
It’s tightly stitched together.
To last in love throughout the years,
Our family is forever.
-author unknown

Happy Easter!

What a beautiful day it is!
We went to Saturday Easter Service so today we got to celebrate all day with the kids!
We had Easter baskets, Easter egg hunt, brunch, bike riding and more fun to come.
We are so thankful for Jesus and the life we have in Him!