Well, it has been nearly 2 months since my last post, so this is a bit overdue. I am happy to report that we received our initial USCIS clearance this week. It won't make our wait any shorter, but it is a requirement that is now out of the way.

At the beginning of July, most of the family headed to Richmond to visit Pete's younger brother Tim and his family. As with any time you get about 17 people together for multiple days there were ups and downs. One thing that nobody would disagree with is how nice it was to see Tim, Cindy, Connor, Ella, & Laney. Some of the fun things we did to keep busy were going to the park, mini-golf, go-karting, 4th of July festivities (minus firework and concert - ugh, the weather), and a mini-birthday party for all the cousins! Everyone appreciated Tim & Cindy's hospitality. Michael cried in the morning because he didn't want to come home, and again when we arrived in Minneapolis because he didn't want to say goodbye to Jacob. He loves all of his cousins so much!

As you can see, we had a stop in Washington, D.C. History fascinates me, and being submerged in it, as in Washington makes me feel very contemplative. We saw one of the Air & Space Museums, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and part of the Museum Natural History.

Tim, Cindy, Ella, Laney, & Connor.

Michael practicing his Jedi moves.

This, That, & the Other Thing

Yay, Michael! Tuesday marked the first night of the All Comers Track Meets in Rochester. Michael (aka Dash) finished 1st in the first race of the night. In the second race, he finished 2nd. Pete and I thought that was great, Michael, not so much. He was so sad about not finishing 1st, he would not run in the 3rd race. All is well, though, because he is already looking forward to next week.

It has been an amazing time for the Ethiopia program. At the end of last month, they gave out referrals to 50 waiting families. While this is a blessing for all the families (and bodes well for the length of our wait), it is also terribly sad. It is an indication that because of ongoing draught, families are making very tought choices so that they can survive. Further impacting the ability to survive is the stretched state of the charitable organizations that help feed people worldwide due to the disasters in Myanmar and China. I hope to have some links posted soon for those of you who may like to sponsor a child or make a donation to an organization that serves many people.

there is no me without you Read it. I am not usually a fan of biographies, but I couldn't put it down for long. The author tells the story of an Ethiopian woman who goes from being in the middle class ends up caring for orphans in the capital of Addis Ababa. Throughout she intertwines Ethiopian history, and facts and statistics on the HIV/AIDS crisis that could serve as a distressing call for action.

On driving 90 miles to church......

Because we have been frequently driving up to Minneapolis to go to church, I have been thinking lately that people must wonder: Why? What could make it worth the extra time and cost? Surely one would think that a family could get the same experience at another church...

Maybe. On the outside of things, there are the obvious reasons for making the trek. It is not lost on either of us that Michael absolutely loves the music (all the time), dancing and art (on hip hop Sundays). Then, of course, I am linked by the fact that I went to High School with the senior Pastor Efrem Smith.

Those things are nice, but would they keep us making the drive? Maybe that is more about Efrem's common sense approach which is a welcome breath of fresh air. His desire for improving North Minneapolis is sincere, as is his goal of racial reconciliation. He is not afraid to call it like it is. This mornings sermon was a good example. He addressed the article in the Star-Tribune today regarding ratio of suspension among black students. I won't cover details, but if you want you can listen to what he said at www.sanctuarycovenant.org .

Even with this, there is something more primal that calls me. It is returning to an area of diversity which was the world I knew growing up. It is the validation that a couple doesn't have to be at the same place in their faith to be in love, married, and happy. It is blending in, not being the "recognizable" family. It is the sense of sameness that we can't offer to Michael everyday. Yes, sometimes there is value in being "part of the crowd".

Waiting!

We are so excited to share with all of you, that we are now officially "waiting". For those of you who are not familiar with adoption lingo, this means that we are in line for a referral. The wait for a referral should be between 6 - 9 months. By the way, referral is when the agency has a child to match us with and we review the referral and accept or decline it. Essentially, referral is when you meet (on paper) your child. After we receive and accept our referral, we would travel in 2 - 3 months to pick up our child.

Ethiopia, one of the oldest countries in the world, has no history of colonization. Upon independence, many African countries adopted the colors of the Ethiopian flag - green, yellow and red - and they became known as the Pan-African colors.

The yellow pentagram on the blue circle is also known as the National Coat of Arms. It is a symbol of the current government. It is intended to reflect the desire of the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia, as well as of its religious communities, to live together in unity and equality. What a wonderful goal!

As always, Michael keeps us running (literally and figuratively). We seem to be in the midst of a run of his friends birthdays currently. All the parties have been a lot of fun! Michael is currently in gymnastics and swimming classes. He is anxious to try any sport he can.

We are all grateful that spring has finally arrived. We have started our summer routine of playing outside. Frequently, we race and play baseball. Micheal is amazine (we think) at hitting for his age (he has hit 3 balls into the rain gutter so far, and one almost over the peak of the garage). He is anxious to learn the skills of the "catcher" position, too. We even got to run through the sprinkler for a short time tonight. Talk about a happy time!

Michael got a "car" for his birthday, we just finally decided it was warm enough to get it out. He LOVES the Incredible's, and this costume is 2 sizes too big, but he doesn't care. Here's our little super hero, and his "girlfriend" Kaiden......

Homestudy Approved!!!

Hi All,

We had our in home homestudy meeting yesterday, and our homestudy is approved! We also submitted our passport applications. Two more steps down. Next up are immigration forms, dossier, another workshop (on toddler adoption) and we need to start having shots. We would like to get the dossier sent in ASAP so that it can be approved before the courts in Ethiopia close in the summer.

If I haven't said, Michael is really excited to have a sibling. Well, a sister. We have tried to explain it could go either way, but he is quite certain. He will take good care of his "baby". He has allowed that the baby can be as "old" as his friend Jay's sister, Audrey (I think she is the reason he is set on a sister). When the social worker asked where the baby might sleep, he said: "umm, maybe next to me".

Fun Things.....

Michael recently got a new pair of roller skates, which he loved (thanks, Theo!). Also, last night was the carnival at school, and his class sang a song. I have posted both for your viewing enjoyment!

Michael's Birthday

Michael's birthday was about 2 weeks ago. We had a party at Jets Gymnastics for Michael and his friends. The kids did an obstacle course, parachute game, and had free play time. Michael's favorite activity was definitely jumping in the foam pit! It was great for me, too, because Jets did ALL the work. One of the best parts of the day was when one of our nieces came up and said "I love this place Auntie".