Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for these two precious blessings!

Spoiled???

Yesterday evening in the car, we had the following conversation...

Mikaele: "Mommy, we need to get a bouncy ball."
Me: "You already have several bouncy balls."
Mikaele: "No, a big one with a handle that you sit on and bounce on."
Me: "Those are fun. We're not going to get one right now, but maybe you will have one one day."
Mikaele: "Well, I'll just ask Kiki and Papa."

I couldn't hold back a little giggle. The boy has figured out the system already. If Mommy and Daddy say "No," go to the grandparents!

Re-Adoption Day

This Friday, we had our re-adoption hearing. We had to re-adopt the boys here in the U.S., and now we will be able to apply for citizenship. It was a fun day! There were lots of families adopting, both domestic and international. There were three other families from all over Texas adopting Ethiopian children. It was so neat to see the precious children and visit with the families. I think Mikaele and Ephrem's favorite parts of the day were the balloons, teddy bears, and cookies! Here are a few pictures from the day...

A Few Pictures...

I thought we would blog more once our boys were home, but finding time hasn't been so easy. For now, here are a few pictures. They are all from May. We have lots of newer ones we'll try to post soon.

Just being silly together :)

Baby Dedication at our church on Mother's Day
(This was a very special day. We'll try to post more about that later.)

Mikaele's 4th Birthday ~ May 17th

Mikaele has been asking to go fishing for awhile. He caught a big fish with Papa on his birthday!

Ephrem helping Papa get his fishing pole ready.

Rejoicing!!!

Today, the sweet Fournet family finally passed court to bring home their precious twins! They waited 8 months for their referral and have faced delay after delay in the court process. It has been over a year since they received their referral and they finally passed court on the tenth try. We were blessed to meet the twins while we were in Ethiopia and can't wait to finally see them home with their family. They waited so gracefully and have been an encouragement to so many of us in the Ethiopia adoption community. Fournets, we are rejoicing with you!

International Flag Day at Church

We displayed sixty different nation's flags at church on Sunday as a reminder of Jesus' command to make disciples of all the nations. Guess who they asked to carry the Ethiopian flag during the ceremony. We accepted, obviously. It was an honor for us to carry our boys' native flag.

Pictures From the Weekend

Mikaele at a DFW Ethiopia Adoption Gathering

Ephrem with new friends at Ethiopia Adoption Gathering

Meeting and playing with cousins Jon and Jack

Mikaele petting Jasper with PawPaw and Jon

(This is a huge step as the boys came home terrified of dogs.)

Cake at a shower given by friends from Monica's mom's work

Ephrem eating cake Mommy brought home from the shower

Mikaele enjoying the cake too!

Brief Update

Several people have asked for an update. Sorry it's taken us so long. The boys have kept us so busy non-stop. There just hasn't been time to get on the computer until late at night and by then, we are exhausted. Adjusting to a new country, a new family, a new home, a new language and learning boundaries is hard work for the boys which makes hard work for Mommy and Daddy too. Last week was really difficult, but things seem to be quite a bit better this week. We are starting to get into a routine and things are going more smoothly most of the time. We are still having challenges at bedtime and it's taking awhile for the boys to get to sleep which keeps us up later than we would like with no time to rest or get anything else done around the house. Mikaele is really picking up the language so quickly. It is amazing to watch him learn new words every day and hear him use them correctly. Little Ephrem has started repeating words this week. Overall, I think the boys really are doing well. We are enjoying getting to know them. I'll try to update more often now that things are settling down and we'll try to post some pictures soon too.

Ready to Go!

Our bags are packed and we're ready to go meet our boys! Please pray for us, for health and safe travel. Most importantly, pray for Mikaele and Ephrem as their lives are about to be turned upside down. I imagine it might be a scary time for them not really understanding what is going to happen next in their lives and that this is really forever. Pray for all of us as we become a family.

I'm not sure how to put into words how we are feeling right now, so many different emotions all at once. I'm also not sure I really believe it is time to travel to bring our boys home. I wonder when it will finally sink in. Maybe when we are on the plane tomorrow, maybe after we meet the boys, maybe not until we are all home. Right now it just feels like a dream.

Finally, we are so thankful for the overwhelming love, support, and encouragement we have received from so many people over the past few weeks. Every hug, prayer, e-mail, blog comment, phone call, etc. has meant so much to us. We are blessed.

Family of Four!!!

Introducing Mikaele Graham Ivy and Ephrem Charles Ivy!

We are so thankful that we passed court today! We will travel to bring our boys home in about two weeks!!!

New Court Date!!!

We got a call from our caseworker this morning that we have been granted a new court date. It is THIS Thursday! We cannot believe it is so soon! We are so thankful and so excited! Please pray that all goes well this time around. We are ready to go meet our boys and praying that the time is soon!

Playroom Mural Done

We finished the mural this weekend by putting a clear coat of polyurethane on the wall. That should give it a little protection from little hands.

The finished mural

Another Update

Our updates have been coming about four to five weeks apart so we were pleasantly surprised to have another update this morning. It's only been about two weeks since our last update. The updates are such a blessing during the wait. It's always nice to see new pictures and hear how the boys are doing.

“M is one of my favorite boys at the older kid's house. He is very easy going and doesn't demand attention. Yet he isn't scared of me at all and loves to play. M is getting quite good at catch. A couple weeks ago he dropped the ball more than he caught it, today he hardly dropped it at all. E is doing well. He is a typical two year old in temperament. He loves to play catch and play with the cars. E is not at all shy and runs up for attention as soon as I walk in. He likes to play by himself, I think it’s easier for him to maintain possession of his toys that way. ” –Emily :)

Showers

We were blessed with two showers for our boys last weekend. The first was hosted by my good friends Pam and Carrie whom I taught with at my most recent school. The shower was attended by dear friends from both schools that I taught at over the last ten years. The second shower was hosted by another good friend Ricki and my cousins Dawnette and Clarissa. The guests included family and friends who go back as far as kindergarten. Both showers were delightful and I enjoyed celebrating our growing family with so many special people. The boys now have plenty of toys, lots of books, cute towels, their own little dishes, and so much more! We are so thankful for all the friends and famiy who are making this time so special for us.

Six More Weeks

Our court date was rescheduled for March 10th. We are disappointed that it is so far out but also thankful to at least have a date to look forward to. So now we wait some more and pray that everything goes well in March.

Still Waiting

We talked to our caseworker, Jessica, earlier today and found out that MOWA has not issued an opinion on our case. The boys' birthfather was at court and did relinquish his rights which is definitely an answer to prayer. We don't know what will happen next, if our case will remain open or if we will get a new court date, but we should hear more tomorrow. We are praying that if we are rescheduled, it is a date that is not too far away.

In brighter news, Jessica sent us a sweet update on our boys this afternoon. The picture with this update was so precious, the first picture we have seen with both boys smiling at the same time. We needed that today!

“M and E are both doing well. E came right over to me when I got to the foster care. He loved attention and seeing the computer and pressing keys on the keyboard. E is a typical two-year-old. M is more reserved than E. He was playing with his friends, kicking a soccer ball back and forth when I got there. M kept an eye on E as he played making sure that his brother was alright.” --Emily

Possible Delay

We got a call today from Gladney giving us a heads up that there could be a delay in our court case. It is still possible that our case will be heard tomorrow, but it doesn't seem likely. We don't know for sure what this will mean for us, but I am guessing we will be rescheduled. So for now, please pray with us for a miracle that the cases will be able to be heard tomorrow with opinions from MOWA and if we have to be rescheduled, that the date is not too far away. We are ready to bring our boys home!!!

Waiting...

Our court date is getting close, just a few more days! This week we are waiting with excitement, anticipation, hope, and a lot of nervousness about whether we will pass court, be delayed, or even denied. We expect one of the first two, but we have learned you just never know in international adoption. We are painting, cleaning out, organizing, child proofing, reading lots about adoption, attachment, and Ethiopia, just trying to prepare our house and ourselves for the changes, challenges, and blessings that we hope are coming our way soon. We are dreaming of our future with our boys and all the blessings they will bring into our lives.

Meanwhile, a man on the other side of the world is waiting and preparing as well. He is preparing for a long trip, which I imagine will be difficult for him both physically and emotionally, to appear in court and relinquish his sons for adoption. The boys' birthfather has been heavy on my heart this week. I just can't imagine what this week and the actual court date must be like for him. I wonder what his dreams are for his boys. I wonder if we will live up to his expecations as the boys' new parents.

Also in Ethiopia, two little boys are waiting. I'm not sure how much they understand about their wait. They have our pictures, letters and gifts we have sent, but I don't know if they really know who we are or what changes are in store for their little lives. I think about them all the time, I've programmed myself to think 9 hours ahead and wonder about what they are doing at a specific time and pray for them. I know they know to some degree the loss they have experienced in their lives already. I can see it in their eyes, especially M.'s and especially in the earlier pictures. They seem happier in the pictures we have seen more recently and I can tell they love their friends they are with. And now, we are preparing to go and take them from all that they know. We can't wait to meet them, to hug them, to care for them, and to share our love with them, but still I know that all these changes will be challenging for them and they will experience even more loss as we move them away from their friends and the caregivers who they know and love. They have been through so much in their little lives already. I hope and pray that we will be able to help them work through their grief and loss as they move into a whole new world. It is just all so much to take in and so overwhelming to think about all the aspects and people involved in our adoption.

Please pray with us this weekend and early next week:
*for our boys
*for their birthfather, that he will make it to court, and especially for peace and comfort
*for us as we wait
*that all of our paperwork is in place
*that we will find favor in the courts in Ethiopia
*for several other families with our agency who also have court next week

Playroom Progress

Monica working on the lion mane

Henry doing some detail work

Work continues

One of many toys that Henry will assemble

Working on the playroom

Tracing the design onto the wall

Starting to add color. Hope we can stay inside the lines :)

A couple of years ago I found a web site that provided paint by numbers designs that you could trace onto the walls in children's rooms. I thought it would be neat to have one, so I bookmarked the site. It's been pretty easy so far. Lining up the sheets so the lines meet was a little tricky, but we managed. Also we put the wrong side of the carbon paper against the wall on the rightmost section, so we had to take it down off of the wall and turn the carbon paper around. One suggestion I have is to check underneath before you take the paper down all the way. We found a couple of spots we missed. I don't think it would have been possible to put the sheets back up in the correct spot. We will post more pictures as the mural progresses.

If anyone wants to know the web site we purchased this from it is called Elephants on the Wall

Bedroom nearing completion

The room with beds and a complete paint job

Guess whose daddy went to UT

Closeup of bed ready to go. The top will have to wait until the oldest is big enough.

Curtain and valance

We are almost done in the bedroom. Just a few finishing touches and it will be ready.
The giraffe on the top bunk next to the two little longhorns was the spoils of victory from several trips to Dave and Busters. It's almost as tall as Monica!