Day 2, Trip 1

Jeff and the girls had a wonderful day of sight seeing and visiting with fellow Reece's Rainbow friends.  They first went to buy groceries...funny how very American some of those items look!  Then they walked around town looking at all the sights but it started raining very hard so they headed back to the apartment.   For supper, they met up with another Reece's Rainbow family,  Andrew and Aislinn Weiman, who are adopting precious Stacie.   Jeff and the girls said it was such a joy getting to visit and share testimonies with another family on this same journey.  What a blessing to get to meet them!

Here are some pictures of their apartment, which is very modern and well kept.  I'm just glad they have fast internet so we can Skype!!!!  Enjoy the pics! 

Their apartment building they are staying in while in the Capital city

Looking out from inside their apartment

Living room

Kitchen

Bed where Holly and Rachel sleep...Poor Jeff is on the couch!

Groceries

Rachel eating groceries :-)

Holly and Rachel in the kitchen

Sink and tiny microwave

Tomorrow, Jeff will meet with the adoption authorities at 9:00am his time, 1:00AM our time...we are 8 hours behind them, and receive the girls' medical histories and get to see their pictures.  I'm praying the authorities will give Jeff some of those pictures to keep or at least let him take pictures of the pictures.  Feel free to agree and pray with me.  It would be so sweet to have baby pictures of them!

Day 1, trip 1

Jeff and the girls arrived in-country today at 4:15 local time right on time with no hang-ups!!!  Praise God for getting them there safely!  As soon as they arrived at their apartment, we Skyped!  It was so nice to see them and hear their voices.  They were all extremely tired after their 25 hour trek around the globe and were ready to grab a bite to eat and rest.  Holly forgot and brushed her teeth with the local water.  She did not swallow any so we'll see in a day or so if her tummy will be affected.  

Below are some pictures of their journey:

 Newark!  Last stop before leaving our great nation!

Holly and Rachel on the plane to Munich, Germany

Looking towards the front of the plane going to Munich

Munich!  Waiting to board the last flight to the country our girls are in.

Yeah!  They are in the Capital City driving to their apartment!!!

Still driving....

And more driving...

Home away from Home in the Capital City!  This is their apartment building for the next 2-3 days.

Tomorrow should be a fun day of sight seeing and running around the capital city, so hopefully I'll be able to share pictures of their adventures soon.


That's all for today.  Short and sweet!

They're off!

Jeff, Holly and Rachel left for our girls' country early this morning.  Tears were shed...on my part...hugs were given tighter that usual and good-by's lingered long past the designated time to leave.  It's tough watching your family leave!

Rest did not come for any of us last night so I pray Jeff and the girls can sleep on the plane.  It will be a 25 hour journey so there *should* be plenty of time to rest.  They will arrive in-country tomorrow afternoon late, grab a bite to eat, buy some groceries and head to the apartment for some much needed rest.

Tuesday will be a day of leisure and hopefully some sight seeing.  Jeff will meet with the official adoption authorities on Wed at 9:00am and receive the official referral to adopt our girls.  He'll pick up the official paperwork either later that afternoon or the next day then they will hop on an overnight train and arrive in the city our girls are in about 13 hours later.

They should be able to meet our girls either late Thursday or early Friday, depending on when they get the referral paperwork and catch the overnight train.  What a wonderful day that will be when daddy meets daughters, sisters meet sisters!  Our girls will see love!  They will feel love, unconditional love, for the very first time in their lives.  Oh, how I cannot wait to wrap MY arms around them!!!!

Feeling unconditional love can be confusing and scary if you have never felt it before.  I pray and believe that our girls will have NO FEAR!  I pray they will only feel comfortable and at ease when they meet their daddy and sisters.

Guess what is happening on Aug. 3, 2011??

That is our SDA appointment day!  Yep, we finally received our date!!!!!  What we once thought would be at least a three MONTH wait has graciously been turned into a three WEEK wait!  Doesn't God just blow your mind some times?!?

The SDA appointment is the appointment where the government of the country our girls are in gives us the official referral to adopt them!  That means Jeff will get to meet our sweet daughters Aug. 5!  What a day that will be!!!!!!!!!!


Our baby girls don't know it yet, but they are about to be set free.


Free to have a mommy,
Free to have a daddy,
Free to have brothers, and sisters,
Grandma's and Grandpa's,
Great-Grandma's, aunts, uncles and cousins!


Our girls don't know it yet,
But they are loved unconditionally,
They are CHOSEN,
They are WORTHY,
They are DESERVING!


Soon they will know the love of their mommy,
And the safety of their daddy's arms,
Complete with tender hugs, 
And sweet angel kisses,
They will know what LOVE is!!!

Week of many firsts...

Michael and Matthew have been home for 6 1/2 months.  They are doing so well and are still experiencing many firsts:

The boys have looked out our dining room windows a million times while eating, but this was the first time they had all crawled over, stood up and looked out all on their very own.

We have purposely kept visitors very limited for this first 6 months while the boys were getting used to us and bonding.  We are slowly letting more and more friends and family come over to meet Matthew and Michael and this was my grandmother and Aunt Kathy's first visit.

Meemaw made Matthew and Michael their very own quilts like she has done for all the great-grandkids!  They're gorgous, Meemaw!!!

Meemaw and Matthew sitting on his quilt that she made especially for him.

Justin started walking!

Swinging out back in their very own swing for the first time!

My mom and dad got to run down and meet Michael and Matthew for the first time.

First Christmas in July with my parents and niece and nephew, Brianne and Paul.

First kiss!!!

Justin has learned how to give kisses!

 

We cannot wait for our girls to get home and for them to experience their very own 'firsts' as well.  Please continue to pray they are safe and cared for while they wait for us to come for them.  It won't be long, baby girls.  We're coming as soon as we can!

God is moving!

Concerning our adoption:

While we are praying...

God is LISTENING!

While we are waiting...

God is MOVING!

Mountains are literally being washed away as we wait...and pray.

God is so good!

ALWAYS!!!!

We just received the news that a vote taken today in the country our girls are from is going to allow travel dates to be given to those families who are already submitted.
  
That would be US!!!
 
They will also continue to allow the adoption of kids age 5 and over as well as children of any age with a diagnosis that is on their current 'special needs list' while they restructure their adoption program instead of completely shutting the program down during the change. 

Keep praising God and thanking Him for all He has, and is, and will continue to do.

 More info to come as it comes to me but it appears as if our '3-month-wait' will be made significantly shorter very soon!

Hang on baby girls.  We're coming!

20 years ago, on June 28th...

...our first baby girl was born!  

Happy Birthday Kayla!! 

We love you so much, more than words can ever say.  We are so grateful God gave you to us and what an honor it is to be your mom and dad!

Sad day

We just received the 'final' word from Andrea, the director of Reece's Rainbow, that the country our girls are in will not issue new travel dates to families to adopt their children until after the closure.  The last families allowed to travel are those families who had their paperwork submitted prior to June 1.  Our paperwork was submitted June 2.  We missed the cut-off by two days.  Two days.  

Our facilitator in country had been trying to negotiate travel dates, but evidently was not successful.  It is estimated it could be about three months before we are allowed to go get our girls.  It could be shorter...it could be longer.  


We are devastated.  

The thought of our girls having to lay alone in their cribs for who knows how long is enough to bring a grown man to his knees. 

So, we wait.

Please keep our girls in your prayers, that their health holds up until we can get there.  That their spirits remain strong.  That they are fed, and changed, and bathed until we get there. 


This closure and delay is not a surprise to God.  He has known of it since before time and He knows the outcome.  We will rest in that and will continue to praise Him in this storm...

From Casting Crowns:

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
 
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Chorus

Fathers Day ~ 2011

We had a nice simple Fathers Day this year.  This was Michael and Matthews very first Fathers Day and oh, what a joy it was to celebrate this day with them because now they have a daddy of their very own!!  Jeff had to work all day so that gave Holly and Rachel a chance to run into town to pick up a gift and bake a cake for him.  I called my daddy and talked to him and my mom for a little while and Jeff called his dad..had to leave a message...but wished him Happy Father's day just the same. There are no pictures of Justin with Jeff because he was soooooo tired and we went ahead and put that sweet baby in bed before we thought to grab the camera. After we got Justin settled, we celebrated:

Happy Fathers Day, Jeff!!!

Rachel made the cake ~ it says, Happy Fathers Day Dad!  I love you!