There are 17 families from our agency traveling to Ethiopia this week and next to meet their children for the first time or to bring their children home. That means there will be room for more children to move into Hannah's Hope, which in turn means that more referrals will go out. Yay! It has been so quiet for so long, but I'm hoping that's about ready to change! To the families traveling - I hope you have wonderful and safe travels! Enjoy your time with your new little ones!!!! :-)

I DON'T CARE IF I NEVER SEE ANOTHER PAINTBRUSH IN MY LIFETIME!!!!!!

There. That's off my chest. Thanks for listening. I guess I'll go paint again now. (But I'd like to know whoever invented 10 foot ceilings, anyway?)

Weekend Project....

Chris and I are do-it-yourselfers. We built our own home 8 years ago (minus the framing and drywalling), and have tried to complete all of our own projects since then. Chris is definitely a handy-man, and I enjoy working with my hands and creating new things. So, add that to the fact that I am now entering the "nesting" mode, and now we've got projects coming out our ears. Friday night, we started things off by ripping down the wallpaper border that has graced our kitchen for the past 8 years. Then we primed the walls above the countertop. Saturday, we tiled the backsplash. My plan is to paint the kitchen and living room, too, before it's all said and done, and we may have to redo a bedroom when we get our referral (depending on the child or combination of children we receive). As I said, I'm definitely starting to "nest." Anyway, here are some photos of our latest endeavor (I still need to grout the tile yet, which sounds like a great project for today).

When the kitchen is all repainted, I'll have to post "before" and "after" pictures. But that's all for now - I've got lots of grouting, taping, and painting to keep me busy for awhile! Have a great Monday!

January Numbers....

Our first official waitlist numbers for the new year are:

#29 for girls

#17 for boys

#12 for siblings

Since we entered the waitlist back in June, we have moved 42 spots for girls, 27 spots for boys, and 28 spots for siblings. Just in the past month, we have moved 6 spots for girls, 3 spots for boys, and 5 spots for siblings. So there definitely has been some movement! I was really hoping that we wouldn't get numbers this month - that we would get our referral instead since we're unofficially number 1 for a 3-year-old girl and for boy/boy sibs or boy/girl sibs of the same age group. But God knows best - maybe this set of numbers will be our last!

Have a great Thursday!! 

Goodbye, 2010!

We had a wonderful and busy week-and-a-half of fun over the holidays. Here is a random run-through of a few photos from our Christmas Break 2010:

On Christmas morning, each of the kids received a Go. Seek. Love. t-shirt. (The proceeds from each t-shirt purchased benefit a family adopting from Africa.) 

 My parents had a birthday party for my brother Doug, Chris and I. We all have December birthdays.

  And boy, did we ever light up the night with that cake! 34 candles! (Chris and I turned 34, Doug turned 32.)

 Lots of family time....

 and lots of games......

 Malia got the game of Twister, and the kids had a ball. Ok, so did Chris and I, although we found out that we're definitely not as young as we used to be! Poor Chris now has a pulled muscle in his back!

 Adrian received a Saints jersey, and Ashton got a Colts one. Now we have a little Drew Brees and a little Peyton Manning running around!

 A snowflake cheesecake that I made (and it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself!)

 Me and my girls.....

 Lots of time with cousins.....

 Gifts....

and more gifts.....

 Shana with cousin Zavier

 Ashton in the Colts uniform he received and Malia in some of the dress-up clothes she got. We decided that they were the football captain and the homecoming queen.....

 This was one of my very favorite gifts of all. My sister purchased a goat in Chris's name for a poor Ethiopian family. Goats provide a source of food and dairy products, and are a valuable source of income for poor families. Then, wealthier Ethiopians donate a second goat for each one purchased. So, our gift of a goat to a poor family instantly doubled! How cool is that? I love gifts that give back.

 And one more cute shot of Malia and her new baby doll wearing matching aprons. (The aprons were handmade by Haitian women who sew to provide a living for their families.)

Hope you all enjoyed your holidays as well! And wishing you all a very happy and successful 2011 filled with all the things you love most!

Happy New Year!

Whew! We've been busy this past week celebrating Christmas and birthdays, and traveling to visit family. And now here it is - the very last day of 2010! Where has the time gone? But I'm excited about the year ahead, and know that God has great things in store for our family. Just this week, the family directly in front of us on the unofficial sibling waitlist received their referral for a brother and sister. Congratulations! This means that we are now unofficially #1 for girl/boy siblings and boy/boy siblings up to age 3, as well as #1 for a three-year-old girl. Wow! Our time is getting close! So.......does anyone know of a great deal on a full-sized van? :-)


Hope you all have a very Happy New Year filled with God's richest blessings! See you next year!

A Christmas Card For You....

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Click here for your card.