So long for now..........

We leave for the airport in about 20 minutes. Is this real? I just can't imagine seeing my babies out side of a computer screen. I can't imagine what it will feel like to look at them in real life, standing there where I can reach out and hug and kiss them. I can't imagine what it will be like to see all three of my boys together for the first time. But I will know soon. This is so unreal! Amazing. Thanks for everyone who helped make this happen. My Mom and Dad, Johnette and Willie, Grace, Momma Mary and John Dad and all of you who prayed for us. We are so honored to share this with all of you!

So Sweet............

My friend Carla just dropped off this gift for me.

Its an OmniPeace shirt to end poverty in Africa!

And they're off...........

Our bags are packed!! We are so excited! As you can see the boxes are packed FULL! Those are all donations! The green bag is also almost half donations as well! WOW! What a great network of people that are a part of our adoption group! I can't wait to meet several of them in Ethiopia! What a blessing this trip will be. A trip of a lifetime for Jeff, Aiden and myself. Not to mention Minte!! We will never be the same after Friday! Please pray for our safety and for our transition. This is so MAJOR!!

50s, 60, and 70s..............

Found out from a Hope mom, Lisa that just came home from a visit to Addis Ababa to see her kids that the weather in Ethiopia right now is 50s in the am, 60-70s during the day and 50s again in the pm. YAY! We will be gone for the HOTTEST month in Texas to AFRICA and it is going to be, on average, 30 degrees COOLER there. Whaaaaaa????

Almost time.....................

It is almost time for Aiden and I to hit the sky and head for Ethiopia. Ya'll pray for Jeff, he will be the blog updater for me. I am using this post as a bit of a lesson in blogging since Jeff hasn't done it before. I plan on emailing him updates to post for me. Hopefully I will be able to email a couple of times a week. I may be being a bit optimistic but it is my intention to get to the Addis Ababa Hilton to use the WiFi occasionally. I am told that you can purchase a day pass there to use their pool so I plan on taking the boys there some.
I am almost packed, just have a few more odds and ends to take care of. I am getting to take 25 sets of scrubs for the caregivers and some other small gifts. I am taking plenty of gifts from Hope families. We are so excited........just can't wait!
We will miss Jeff very much and I am sad that he won't be with me the first time I see my boys faces. That makes me sad but it is so important to us that Minte finally gets to be with his family. He has been in an orphanage for at least 2 years (we aren't sure beyond that, could be longer) and we are ready to be with him and bond. I feel so blessed to be able to have this extra time with him. Most families are only able to go for a week or two but I get to spend an entire month soaking up my children's culture and heritage. I am thinking about going to an Orthodox Church service and just enjoying Africa.
I might even let Minte show us around some. I bet there is lots of Addis that he has never been able to see until now. We will save the really good stuff like The Blue Nile and other interesting places that I have never heard of until Jeff joins us.
Please just be in prayer for our safety and travel. Continued prayers for the baby's paperwork would be nice also. It would be so sweet to bring everyone home together! Thank you and blessings to all of you!

The gift of friendship.................

We received a package in the mail today from the Ellerbee Family. It was full of stuff to take to Minte when we leave next week. You should know that the Ellerbees are how we found Minte. Joshua Ellerbee is Minte's best friend (hence the shirt). Here is some of what was in the care-package.

I can't wait to give Mintesinot his gifts! He will love it. Soon I will be able to post a picture of him wearing his shirt. So fun!

I love you Gina! Thank you so much for your friendship and love. Thank you for crying with me and laughing with me and everything in between. You are wonderful. Please tell your kids thank you for me and for Minte. I am so glad to have gained you all as an extended family! God is so amazing!

For those of you who don't know.............

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and thoughts. We received word yesterday that Minte has passed court. We are praising God for this. What a blessings. Hallelujah!
The bad news is that we also found out that the woman from the orphanage that Teodros came from forged a document rather than having it done the lawful way. He will still be our son but we will have to go back through court for him. Unfortunately Ethiopia closes court for all of August and September. Without a miracle from our God, Theo's paperwork won't be done in time for him to pass court before the closure. It looks like we may have to wait until Oct., Nov. to bring him home. We are not discouraged though because we serve a big God and he has delivered Jeff and I from so much. How could we start to doubt him now?
Adoption is just a roller coaster. Some people sail right through with no problems and others have awful experiences that leave them shaken. I would consider ours somewhere in between. It has been quite a journey but nothing compared to what some of my adoption friends have had to endure. God has surrounded us with a family of other adoptive parents. They help lighten our load when we are feeling
weary and worn from the struggle. If you are one of those people, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you and are blessed by you. For those of you who aren't adoptive parents but continue to support us with your love and prayers, thank you, because you are always there for us even when you don't know quite what to say or how to relate and that means a lot.
Aiden and I will leave as planned to be with Minte. We will be able to visit with the baby some and then we will give Minte an Ethiopian adventure. Jeff will join us in late August and we will have some family time in Addis Ababa before returning home. Possibly as a complete family. But even if we don't get to bring our baby home with us, we are standing firm on Jesus. We are hopeful. Please continue your prayers for us.
Blessings,
Jaclyn and Jeff

PRAISE GOD.................

THIS BOY IS OFFICIALLY OURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we are praising, praising, praising GOD!!!

Thank you all for your prayers for him. We are absolutely ecstatic!

I have added pictures to the slide show of Minte and his friends! Enjoy!

I love you guys...........

I really really love my adoption agency. I don't have any news, and in fact it wasn't really a good day for several families at Hope but it is just a supportive, happy, encouraging family that continually lifts me up. I love you fellow Hopesters!!

Click on AfroKinks.............

AFROKINKS

I have ordered some stuff for the boys hair to take to Ethiopia. This site is great and the customer service is WONDERFUL. We had an address mix up due to Paypal and they are helping me out since I am leaving in 8 days. For those of you needing Ethnic Hair Care Products, check it out. They have some of the better prices out there!

That song...........

That you are hearing when first opening up my blog is a new favorite of mine. I listen to all sorts of music and I have several songs that I really identify with but when I heard this song by Natalie Grant I loved it. It was like someone had read my mind. I could identify with every word she sang.
I have come a long way in life but only by God's amazing grace. I have questioned Him, doubted Him, been angry with Him; but I always end up standing firm on God's promises.
Like right now in my life, I don't understand everything that is going on, why it is happening but I know that God has a plan for Jeff and I and ALL THREE of our children. He doesn't forget us, ever, even when that is what it feels like.

Just had to say............

We are gonna be hugging and kissing this baby in THIRTEEN DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We will be hugging and kissing Minte too but I can't

post his picture yet :(

Пойдено к России.........................

Which roughly means Gone to Russia. Blake has left for Perm, Russia. We are praying for some strong relationships to be forged and for God's vision for us in Perm to be revealed to Blake.

For those of you who don't know Blake, he is a fellow Aggie, and a very strong Christian. Here is one of our favorite pictures from our last trip to Ukraine:

It is Blake and Jeff with the Dniper River behind them. Blake we are really proud to have you as a brother in Christ! Tell Brad and Jeanine Привет for us!!!

My baby is back.............

Aiden came home and he has a cute little tan. He had a blast on his cruise with my dad. They took tons of pictures but for now I just have one I want to share. The Dolphin Kiss:

Aiden and my dad swam with dolphins. We have a video of the whole thing. It was so cute. The dolphin floated on his back and Aiden laid on the dolphins tummy and they swam around the lagoon. Awwww! The dolphin also pushed Aiden around on a boogie board with its nose. Aiden has a huge smile on his face as they race across the water! I am so glad that Aiden had such a good time. Thank you, Dad for taking such food care of him and giving him a wonderful last "only-child" vacation!

So maybe you can...........

Yesterday my friend Gina said that she could see the Amharic words (YAY!) and her son Josh (who is my son's friend from Ethiopia) said that it meant my heart. It was supposed to mean our life so I went searching and found the correct version of our life but I really liked my heart as well. So now it says both. Thanks Gina and Josh for your Amharic skills and having a computer that allows my words to show up on your screen!

If you could see what I see..........

This post is not near as profound as my title lead you to believe. Basically I realized last night that you guys can't see the Amharic words in the title of my blog. Booooooo! They are so pretty and cool. I am working on fixing it but it is not looking good. Thats all.

I just have to say............

Look how FAT this baby is!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(It is Cooper for those of you who can't tell)

So cute, huh?!

Could you believe that 4 months ago he was a malnourished baby? No signs left!!

My travel plans...............

So Aiden and I are leaving on July 31st and we are staying until.........wait for it.........wait for it.........August 30th! That is not a type-o. We are heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for one month to pick up Cooper. Minte is not through court yet and we don't know when he will be. After July the Ethiopian courts close and don't open again until October. There is still time for him to make it through so that is one of the reasons we are staying so long in Addis. If M does get through in July then we will already be there for his Embassy date and Jeff will meet us there. If he doesn't then at least Aiden and I will get to visit him some during the month. I am so nervous but at the same time, beyond excited. Aiden and I will be meeting our babies face to face in 21 days!!! Ahhhhhhh! Exciting! I am so thankful for my husband who is so sweet and supportive to let us go and my parents who are helping us with travel expenses. We are just praying and trusting God that we will bring both of our boys home.

Its been done for a while........

I keep forgetting to post the picture of my mural for the baby's room. It has been finished for a while.

Welcome Home Anteneh...............

Yesterday we picked up the Pruitt's at the airport. They stopped over in DFW for a night before returning home to Lubbock after a two week trip to Ethiopia. Grace, Miranda and Addis brought home their son/brother Anteneh. He is a friend of Minte's and he is such a sweetheart. He played Wii with Jeff and explored our house but his favorite thing that he found was Aiden's bike!! He rode and rode and rode that thing. He rode it until it was too dark and then he woke up this morning and rode it until he had to leave. He loved it. I have a feeling Grace will be stopping off at Walmart today to get him one!

Welcome Home Anteneh!!

The Pruitt Family

Adiós mi niño..............

My sweet boy Aiden took off into the sunrise this morning with my Dad. They are headed to Galveston to catch a cruise ship! Yeah, poor baby, right! They are going to Cozumel (hence the Spanish title for the post) to share some grandfather-grandson bonding time. Here are pics of Aiden getting ready and loading up my Dad's van.

So now Jeff and I are without child for the next 6 or 7 days. Sure I am jealous but I am so excited for Aiden. I know he is gonna have a blast. And Jeff and I are going to enjoy some time alone before I take off for Africa. I will post all my travel plans soon.

Kilu Mammo.................

That means Silly Mammo.

So, the other day I was reading the blog of my cyber-friend Cyndi. (She is also a M.O.M, which means Mother of Minte) She had a post showing a care package she was sending to her Minte who is in Ethiopia awaiting his court date. (Be praying for July 25th for her please and thank you.) Cyndi had included a book in the package called Silly Mammo. I noticed in the pictures on her blog that Silly Mammo was written in English and Amharic. Cyndi pointed me in the direction of Amazon.com and I found some other Ethiopian tales there as well. I bought a few, including a copy of Silly Mammo to leave at the orphanage for the kids. I am excited to get them to Ethiopia and share them with Minte. Aiden will enjoy reading them to his brothers.

Oh and thanks Cyndi!

My new approach..........

to thinking is this.... 1 John 4:18.

"Perfect love drives out fear."

I was reading an article today and that verse was in it.

So was this quote:

"If you understand how much God loves you and how perfect that love is and how powerful He is, it will drive away all the fear that you have because you'll start to understand that He's protecting you."

I will not lie. I have been fearful of what will come from our adoption. I am fearful of what I am going to have to go through to get these kids. I just have to keep reminding myself that His love is perfect. Even if I don't like what I am getting, he has His best in mind for me and my family. And all of you should know God has his best in mind for you too.

Unfortuantely..................

I don't have good news. We did not pass court again today. We are obviously very sad. I don't really have any information like when our new court date is, what piece of paper was missing exactly, etc. When I do I will post it. I don't understand why God is allowing this to happen but even if I could understand it wouldn't matter. This is the situation we have been given, we have to deal with it and continue to pray. Thanks for checking in and please continue to pray for our boys.
Blessings,
Jaclyn