Our First Ethiopian Feast

We decided Christmas break was a fabulous time to have our first adventure in Ethiopian food!!  So we ventured out in the blistering cold last night to a local restaurant, Little Africa.  

We discussed with the kids beforehand that this was going to be all totally unfamiliar, very different tasting food and we were so proud of them for their willingness to try everything!

The mango juice was definitely a favorite:

  The guava juice was also a hit:

And the tea was knock-it-out-of-the-park AMAZING!!!

We didn't try coffee this time around, but loving coffee like I do, I still thought a random photo was necessary. :)

The giant plate of food that we shared!

There are no utensils used.  In Ethiopian meals, the injera bread, a large, sourdough flat bread, is used to scoop up all the different stews and dishes.  We ate a combination platter, a sample of everything which was quite the feast!!  We found that some dishes were way to spicy for us (and especially the kids) but others were so unique and flavorful!!  Now that we've tried everything, we'll probably stick to the more mild dishes.  We look forward to going with family and friends!

Movin' On Up!

We received an update from our agency this week and we are now....

#20

It's a slow progression but at least we are moving!!!  

We would love for you to pray for us as we wait through this process. Here are some specific requests:

*  Patience - pray that we are patient and trust in God's timing as we wait.

*  Protection and safety for our children, wherever they are right now.

*  That God continues to prepare our hearts, including the hearts of KJ and J as our family dynamics  and home life will change in a major way!

Those are just a few requests....I'm sure there will be more to come.  Thank you for your prayers!!

A Quiet Pain. . .

It's been four months now since we've been on the wait list and seven months since we began the formal adoption process.  As the wait goes on, God continues to work a miracle in our hearts.    We imagine these little ones who will be joining our family...wondering if they are born yet...if they are safe....what they are going through.  And love grows inside us for these unknown littles.  By His grace, HE prepares our hearts for them.    

I've felt especially emotional lately, an achy heart, so to speak.  I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what was going on.   *Teresa, who I met via email when researching agencies, has become a friend and mentor to me (both in homeschooling and adoption).  She explained it beautifully in her blog today, giving words to how it feels to be waiting.  (She's describing how she would walk around a field and pray for her child as they waited during the adoption process.)

"Who would this little one be? A girl, mostly likely. What would she look like? What would her story be? How would our hearts mesh together? Lap after lap I would cry out to God from the secret pain in my heart–the pain of loving and wondering and carrying her unknown heartaches and trouble. My life carried on as usual, but somewhere out there a little one would be hurting… she would become my little one. I had nothing to show for it, just a quiet ever-present pain."

Continuing to pray for His comfort and patience as we wait. . .

*Teresa and her husband planned on adopting one girl, and brought home three year old twins!  If you'd like to check out her blog and their life together, click here.  

Before You Were Mine

As we've moved forward in this adoption process, we have read a variety of books, trying to learn as much as we can about adoption, attachement, bonding, etc.

One of the more recent books I read is called, Before You Were Mine, which is a guide for adoptive parents in creating a Lifebook for their adopted child.  The purpose of this Lifebook is to help document the details and personal story of a child's life before and after adoption.

Even though we don't know our children yet, I am encouraged to have a resource to guide us in the process of documenting their lives in Ethiopia and how they become a part of our family.

I was one of ten women who reviewed the book for Carissa which is on her website, here if you'd like to read it.

Before You Were Mine would be a fantasic gift for someone you know who is adopting or who has adopted!!