I'm Off!

We leave in a couple of hours to drop kids off and then head down to stay in Sea-Tac in preparation for my early morning flight. I think I am completely packed, and so excited!

I will be back Saturday (5th) night. I'll have lots of pictures and stories to share. And any of you that might be considering adoption, I'm sure I'll have some amazing kids to tell you about!!

Bye for now,

Carrie

4 Days!

We got our trip figured out! We'll be coming back a day early now. I'll be getting into Seattle Saturday afternoon (the 5th).

All details for the kids are being worked out. Looks like Chris will have some time with just the boys, which has never happened for more than an overnight before. I'm excited for them.

Since you can't go far in Western Washington without running into someone with a child from Ethiopia, and often they are from Layla House, I'll be taking pictures from a couple of families who want the orphanage to know how well their kids are doing now. I'm excited about this because I've heard that the staff remember kids years after they've been adopted. I also keep meeting people who are in the process of adopting kids from other orphanages. I wish I could visit them all in Addis! I can only imagine how excruciating the waiting is. I wish I could help ease it with pictures for everyone. But I don't think I'd be able to do what I'm supposed to while I'm there!

We are also having some closure on our foster kids as we are nearing the end of our time with them. I am always hesitant to write anything specific about them since they aren't legally mine, and this is a small community. I am really looking forward to helping with transitioning them to the next chapter in their little lives. This also releases Chris and I emotionally to begin to dream of our future and what may be coming for us.

If you are of the praying sort, my M.C. could use a little extra next week. Every time we talk about me going to Africa he begs me not to go. He says "it will be the same as if you are dead." I am really hoping that he means I won't be an active presence in his daily life, and not some prophetic message about this being my last week on earth! His life will disrupted by my absence. He'll miss pre-school, and be at a daycare he isn't completely fond of. We've only been apart once for more than a night, so I'm praying that his 5 year-old heart will grow through this, and he will miss me so much that he'll be glad when I get back!

You Know You Are a Parent of a Large Family When...

You know you're a mom to a large family when you breathe a sigh of relief as you realize you have all the kids on their way out to the van ON TIME and you made sure that your 3 year-old had her pulled up like yours as requested, her Child-of-the-Week pictures and toy for Head Start, all teeth are brushed, extra pants for the 19 month-old (since you forgot yesterday), all necessary backpacks and coats. And you didn't have to yell once!

You are feeling pretty good about your mom management skills and you smile as a little spring finds its way into your step. You are good!

Then one of the first-graders calmly says, "Mom, you forgot my lunch." And you realize that you didn't just forget to give it to him, you forgot to MAKE it. You get everyone buckled, and trudge back into the house to throw something semi-nutritionally sound together for the kid, as you realize that now you are late. Ah, well. Maybe tomorrow.

Trip Change

Well, our trip has changed a bit before we had a chance to leave! Ethiopian Air has cancelled our flight home. Our travel agent is trying to find us another flight. Not sure what it will all mean in the end, but it looks like I won't be coming back Sunday April 6th as planned. I'm glad we are getting it figured out now, instead of trying to notify all of our families from Addis! I'm going to trust that there was a divine reason behind our flight cancellation, and be thankful that I am not on it!

Two Weeks!

Two weeks from right now I'll be on a plane heading to Washington D.C. to catch the flight to Ethiopia! I am so excited! My crates of donations are packed, weighing in at 48 pounds and 45 pounds. Hopefully our scale is fairly accurate so I don't have to leave anything behind at the airport.

I haven't had much time to work on my Amharic lately, so I'll have to step it up these last two weeks. I have worked on it enough to feel like I'm starting to see some patterns and connections. It is an interesting and beautiful language. I would really like to be able to understand the kids even if it is on a very basic level, so I'll keep working!

The first trip of short-term volunteers to AHOPE got back a couple of weeks ago. They spent a week at AHOPE working on the orphanage and spending time with this amazing group of kids that is beating HIV with joy and hope for a new future. They had an amazing trip and were very impressed with the kids and the orphanage. I am so excited to see it all myself!

I've been getting updates on our trip. We're going to visit a girls school a couple hours outside of Addis, and an orphanage outside the city. We'll spend a day working at AHOPE's outreach center. This is a new project that started last fall. It is a place for kids and families to come where the kids can get medical treatment for HIV, and the whole family can receive help and counseling. The idea is to create a successful program where kids can stay with the family members they have left, and still survive this now-treatable disease.

I believe the rest of the time we will be at Layla House. I think I am most excited about this. I have read so many people's stories about this place and the kids, especially people who spent good chunks of time there. I am so looking forward to being there myself!

Commercial-Proofing My Kids

We talk to our kids about marketing and consumerism quite a bit. It is partly because we want them to have strong values and not be sucked into wanting everything that everyone else has. Being grateful for the things we already have is important to us. The other part is simply survival. We live on an incredibly tight budget and most of what we buy comes from discount stores these days. We just can't afford to buy extra stuff.

So, I'm driving in the car and there is a radio ad for the radio station we have playing. It is a young girl talking about how the station has impacted her faith and changed her life. From the backseat M.C. says with disgust in his voice, "Mom, they just want us to buy a radio!" Apparently he's been paying attention.

He's a School Counselor (finally!!)

Chris has been a school counselor for 6 weeks now! After much agonizing he made the decision to leave his job with a local non-profit to take a leave replacement as a school counselor in 2 elementary schools.

This has been such a great change for all of us. He is now working less hours and home in the evening more. He has more time for the college classes he teaches. And he just seems so much happier. The job is the perfect mix of working with kids, families, and really great school staff. He gets to work with kids individually and help teachers with behavior issues. Basically, it is the perfect job for him! Last week I realized that I hadn't seen him smile this much in several years. That must be a good sign!

I finally can feel a sense of peace that all of the sacrificing we did for the 3 years of his graduate program was worth it. All of that time with Chris working 2-3 jobs, plus juggling church worship leading and a band of his own. We just got used to him commuting to class on the weekends. I juggled work and little ones and kept it all going. There were some really hard times, and it seemed that it would never end. I guess if we survived all of that we are ready for whatever life throws us next!

As he has entered this new phase of his life and career, I've been thinking back over the years and remembering all the many things I love about him. When I accepted a job, during college, to work in a group home for adults with disabilities I had no idea what God had in store for me. I met Chris there, (as well as several other people that are still close friends to this day). I instantly liked Chris. He had a gentle, fun, patient spirit about him. He was very funny, and treated the people we served with great respect. It took over a year before the time was right for us to begin more than a friendship. But by that time, I was already able to trust him completely. There is so much more to this story, but I'll save it for another time... For now, Chris is a school counselor!!

I couldn't be happier for him! Now, if we can just find him a permanent position for next year...

AHHH!!!

Is there anything more frustrating than a large night-time pull-up going through the wash? Truthfully, deep down I know there are many things worse in life. But when I was trying to wipe all of those slimy little gel crystals out of the washer (twice) and Chris was hosing out a whole laundry load in the driveway, trying to get those gel crystals off our clothes (which took so long he was exhausted at the end) -- we couldn't think of anything worse!