Merry Christmas and Bon Voyage!

Merry Christmas from the couple with serious bedhead! View of the tree reflected in my old bathroom mirror made beautiful in the entry by my handyman hubby.
Thank you to our families for the gifts we opened this morning-thank you for your generosity and love! We'll miss you as we sail the Western Caribbean! Bon Voyage and Merry Christmas!! Thank you to Jesus for our salvation and Happy Birthday!!!

Christmas Picture Preview

I usually get our Christmas cards out to the mailbox the first week of December, but I really procrastinated this year! We had our pictures taken by our friend Rebecca Dodson yesterday morning for our annual Christmas picture card. I wanted to incorporate the adoption somehow into the photos which was tricky since a "paper-pregnancy" is not visible like a pregnant belly! Rebecca is incredibly creative and used a globe that I bought for Isaac for our 5th anniversary (you are my whole world, get it?) to symbolize the adoption/our boys (funny how the meanings of objects change-soon they will be our whole world). I love the preview pics on her blog and can't wait to see the rest! Check us out at http://www.rebeccadodsonphotography.com/ and be looking for us in your mailbox-better late than never, right?!

Thanksgiving Travels

Thanksgiving Weekend was filled with family and traveling. We flew from Orlando to Lexington to start our trip. We celebrated Thanksgiving day at Isaac's parents with most of the family. That morning we skyped with Josh and Nikki in Okinawa, Japan, who were cleaning up from their meal with friends and Josh's birthday...they were already heading to bed since it was after midnight there. Next, we talked with Leah who lives in Munich, Germany. She had just gotten home from teaching and was getting ready to order her annual Thanksgiving pizza to tide her over until her celebration with friends on Saturday. We also heard from Aaron and Katie who are currently living in Fairbanks, Alaska, and were having an appetizer party for lunch and a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with friends that evening. We really missed our siblings abroad!

Poor Isaac spent much of his time with Grandma Treesh trying to reacquaint himself with her. Even though she didn't remember hardly any of our names, she did remember that she loves us and reminded us often with hugs and kisses.

Isaac and Daniel had fun monkeying around together. Daniel is such a good kid!

Isaac and I at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Daniel and Sarah (1st cousin) are helping Grandma get situated. Sarah was a tremendous help with Grandma, and we are so thankful that she is there to lend a hand to both Grandma and her other caregivers. Daniel always had an eye out for Grandma, and I witnessed him taking care of her needs several times...what a sweetie or as Grandma called him "our little boy".

Mark and Jan, we enjoyed spending time with you!

Gabe and Donna receiving their wedding shower gift from the Treesh clan...their wedding is May 21, 2011 on St. Augustine Beach...can't wait!

Jonathan and Abby...Daniel is Abby's son and Jonathan's BFF according to Daniel...Daniel told us all about his love for Jonathan's french toast with powdered sugar on top-yum!

Aleese and Sammy...I think love is in the air!

The guys had to play Yuker as tradition on all Treesh holidays...I played long enough to beat Sammy and Gabe, also a Treesh tradition;)

On Friday, Jan took the girls to lunch at this great tea room in Lexington to celebrate Donna becoming a part of the family. I have a feeling Aleese isn't far behind, and then all the Treesh boys will be officially taken.

Isaac fixed up Mark's car before we jumped in and headed down to Knoxville for a couple of days for a Smith Family Thanksgiving.

More food! My mom cooked everything the boys requested and more and it was all delicious...and then the food coma began to set in...

Dad and Mom in the front, Isaac and I (left), Kari and Neale (middle), and Jack Black, I mean, Perry (right).

And there Jack Black is again! Seriously, I don't understand why my brothers can't take a decent picture and why my dad doesn't take until he gets a good one! At least Neale had the good sense to pick a great girlfriend who tries to keep him in line.

Yes, game day was sad for the Cats, but I got to catch up with Bethany in a Cracker Barrel full of UT orange...lovely. Other than the orange, we had a great time and it was SO good to see her! I love our friendship...we just get each other and always pick up where we left off the way sisters do...I love you, Bethany!

And last, but not least, we celebrated Perry's 21st birthday on Saturday with game food and mom's tenderloin and homemade mac 'n cheese...as if we really needed more food! Notice that Isaac was enjoying every bite-you would think that I don't feed that boy!

We arrived back to Orlando on Sunday night and wandered around the dark parking lot with our rolling luggage and me in 4-inch high-heeled boots until we found our car 20 minutes later...we got the row right, just not the letter of the lot...next time we'll take a photo of our parking spot! We got home at 10:30, threw a load of laundry in, and crashed. It was a crazy weekend, but worth every extra pound gained to spend time with family.

Happy National Adoption Day!

We celebrated National Adoption Day in Blackshear, GA, at the Love the Least Adoption Conference. We had a great time with lots of laughs! Last night, we road tripped it up to Waycross, GA, and ate dinner at the Rodeo Mexican Restaurant which is housed in an old Shoney's building. The food was good, and we enjoyed hearing the people around us speaking with southern-accents...that's something we don't hear much in the FL melting-pot. We stayed at the Best Western owned by the Patels which would explain the curry we smelled the next morning as we walked out to our car to drive over to the conference. Besides the curry, we were impressed with the BW in this little town. Speaking of little town, there was NO Cracker Barrel to be found for breakfast (a must on every Isaac and Kyle road trip!) so we dined at Chick-fi-la instead (usually our lunch road trip eatery) and were upsold at the register with an extra strawberry-yogurt parfait added to our two chicken biscuit combos. We made it to the conference a couple minutes late, no surprise there, and were greeted in the parking lot which made us feel right at home. The conference started with worship lead by a very talented couple. Next, Susanne Mayernick and Gwen Oatsvall of 147millionorphans gave their families' adoption testimonies and encouraged the attendees to be willing to give up our plans and comforts for God's calling on our lives to adopt and experience joy through obedience to His plan. We also heard from the Oatsvalls on fundraising ideas and tips. Isaac listened to Scott and Mike talk about their adoption journeys from a dad's perspective while I went to the workshop about Special Needs adoption by Gwen and Susanne. We also got to meet several members of the First Baptist of Blackshear church including another family adopting from Ethiopia. We took away with us so many ideas for promoting orphan awareness and God's call to Christians to care for orphans. We are praying that next National Adoption Day we will be involved in bringing an adoption conference to our area.

One Month Waiting...

Today marks One Month on the Waiting List for our babies! This month has been MUCH less stressful than the months before! We've enjoyed the cooler weather in FL, spending time with family and friends, and doing a little bit of nesting...

We started replacing some of the carpet in our home with laminate this summer to help our cat Gracie get over a little habit she struggled with and to prepare for easier clean-up of kid messes, too...here Isaac is relieving the stress of waiting on Immigration and practicing his ninja skills by kicking down the silly half-wall in our entryway which we were both so happy to see gone!

After getting tile-removing acid in his eyes and cutting open his arm on a shard of flying tile, Isaac got smart and put on some protective gear for the rest of the project.

Bebe sent the first UK apparel for the boys and made UK blankets for them, too. Mom is looking forward to taking the boys to Rupp, and Isaac is dreaming of them playing basketball for UK-no pressure, kids!

Saturday, we visited with the Lillys...Adelyn and I matched in our pink shirts and jeans, and she was so proud of her leopard shoes...so cute! Isaac and I enjoyed learning all about Thomas the train and friends from Adelyn and beating her parents in spades while she napped!

Saturday night, we met up with (l-r) Donna and Gabe and Katie and Aaron at a Brazilian steakhouse in Orlando. If you can't see the resemblance in the picture, Gabe, Aaron and Isaac are brothers. Gabe and Donna are getting married in May and live in Jacksonville. Aaron and Katie got married last December and are currently living in Alaska. Aaron and Katie were in Orlando to visit Reformed Theological Seminary where we are hoping and praying they will start attending next summer! We had so much fun catching up and are looking forward to "meeting in the middle" in Orlando at Katie and Aaron's place soon!

Christmas Boutique & Ordering Info

My awesome friend Samantha organized a Christmas Boutique at her home to benefit our adoption. The event was last night, and we had a great time visiting with friends while they shopped for Christmas gifts from the sweet vendors who love the cause of adoption. All of the vendors are holding their orders until Sunday, Nov. 14th for anyone who could not be with us last night.

Isaac got right to the important stuff:massage! Our friend Nelson Cacciatore is a licensed massage therapist and gives great massages! His website is http://www.massagebynelson.com/. Nelson travels to his clients in the Bay Area and is available Monday-Saturday for appointments. Don't let the mohawk fool you-Nelson is one of the kindest, most genuine Christian husband and father we have ever met!

If you haven't been to a Thirty-One Purse Party yet, you are missing out! They have tons of bags and travel necessities in beautiful patterns and almost all of them are monogramable! I love my monogrammed lunch tote, drink coasters, and rolling luggage. Melissa's website is www.mythirtyone.com/melissak, mention host: Samantha Chaney. Orders can be shipped to your home.


Partylite candles also joined us last night, and we learned that they've added a gourmet food line to their business too. The iced snowberries candle smells amazing and their treats are yummy! Diana's website is www.partylite.biz/dianakilty, mention host: Samantha Weisweaver. Orders can be shipped to your home.


Susan's business is called "That's Sew Sassy". She started sewing the cutest little girl clothes after her daughter was born and that passion has grown into a successful business. She now offers custom clothing for girls and boys, gorgeous bags, monogrammed towels, pillows, burp cloths, bibs, and probably can make any linen look like a million bucks!

Susan's website is http://www.thatssewsassy.com/; mention Christmas Gift Boutique. Although we are expected boys, they will definitely be sporting Susan's cute clothing!


Mary Kay came last night to beatify us with their fall/winter line of makeup and skin care products. To order: www.marykay.com/kweckowski, mention: Christmas Gift Boutique.


I caught Jenn and Katie sampling Tastefully Simple's fall/winter snacks. We all loved Nana's Apple Cake, Absolutely Almond Pound Cake, and the Warm Cheesy Chive dip...just to name a few, although I've never ordered anything from TS that I didn't devour! To look at TS's offerings go to: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/vmanalang, send your order to vmanalang@gmail.com and mention: Christmas Gift Boutique. Orders will be shipped to your home.

Pampered Chef's Danielle could not be with us last night but sent catalogs for ordering their awesome kitchen gadgets. Danielle's website is www.pamperedchef.biz/pamperedchefdanielle, mention: host Kyle Treesh

Premier Jewelry's Lorraine could not be with us last night but sent catalogs for ordering their beautiful jewels. Lorraine's email is chicpremier@yahoo.com, email for catalog and ordering info.

Thanks to Samantha and her family for hosting us in their home, contributing to our adoption fund, and celebrating our soon-to-be family! We are so blessed to have such amazing friends and fellow believers that love us and support God's direction for our family. Isaac and my prayer for this event is that others who wish to adopt but are unsure of how to fund the adoption will see that "God funds what He favors" and that there are creative ways to cover all of the expenses. Afterall, the 147 million orphans around the globe are priceless children who need families!

Christmas Boutique Fundraiser

Contact info for the vendors will be posted soon for those of you who want to order but cannot come to the boutique! Many thanks to Samantha for organizing this event!

Girl Time

Isaac and I attended the LifeCare of Brandon Gala on October 14th at the Tampa Hyatt. As usual, LifeCare pulled out all the stops for a great night for an awesome cause. Isaac and I were blessed to be asked to host a table this year, and we had such a good time with our friends that joined us to support LifeCare. And yes, Tara and I wore the same dress! Great minds think (& dress) alike! The ladies did enjoy dressing up-the boys, not so much.

The next day, Katie, Sam and I attended a weekend "Women of Faith" conference. We stayed in the governor's suite at the Tampa Marriott Waterside thanks to a packed hotel and a booking mistake! I enjoyed being "sleeping beauty" Saturday morning while Sam and Katie ran a combined 15 miles along Bayshore Blvd...overachievers, these girls! My favorites from the conference were Mandisa's mini-concert, Anita Renfroe's comedy routine, and Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman's testimony. And when I came home on Saturday night, Isaac had finished his honey-do list for the weekend-awesome!

We made the Waiting List!!!

Yea!!! We made the waiting list tonight! Natalie, our caseworker with Gladney, sent us an email this evening congratulating us on finishing our dossier and completing this phase of the adoption process including our long CIS wait. Now, we get to wait some more, but this time for pictures of our sweet little babies! Baby pictures are much more exciting to wait for than an immigration document;) The current wait for a single baby under 12 months with Gladney is 8 months until referral, however, because we have requested siblings, our wait could not be estimated. Our wait may be shorter or longer than this...it all depends on our specifics matching up with our specific children at that specific time...it is going to have to be a God-thing, truly! For us, we are just excited to finally be paper-pregnant...it is becoming very real now that we will be parents next year! Praise God for answered prayers!

The Sun has Set on Immigration

Aren't sunsets so peaceful? Isn't is amazing that God created sunsets to be the grand finale on a beautiful day? Don't they give you hope for a better tomorrow and great days to come?

We are smiling because our summer slump over our immigration woes has come to a close! We are so grateful for answered prayers! The heavy weight has been lifted off of our shoulders, and the black cloud is gone with only blue skies in sight!

Last week, our caseworker at Gladney suggested that we ask for a supervisor at immigration because another Gladney family with our same situation had a supervisor expedite their paperwork for them. I called Isaac and asked him to perform his magic sales tricks on the human robots at the NBC...and he did! The supervisor told him that our paperwork is literally buried underneath more boxes, and our paperwork is physically inaccessible. However, she would accept scanned copies of our file (thank the Lord!, we made copies of everything!) via email and see what she could do for us. We could not make contact with her on Friday, and I was already losing faith in her thinking that this was just another government employee paying us lip service, yet again. But, when Isaac went to the mailbox today, our immigration approval letter (171-H) had arrived! He called me at work to give me the good news...I couldn't believe it! Tomorrow we will have the document notarized and then FedEx it to Kate of KBS dossiers who will then send our dossier to Ethiopia...then we make the waiting list!!!

"Faithful is He who calls you, and He will bring it to pass." 1 Thess. 5:24

Sometimes We Find Out WHY

Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught...Psalm 55:1-2

I thought I was supposed to be on a medical mission trip in Uganda mid-July of this year. Everything was in place for Isaac and I to go on this trip that we've been wanting to experience for the past 2 years, and then all of our plans started to disintegrate. I took the wrong dates off of work, then we couldn't get in touch with the travel coordinator, then Isaac changed jobs, and then there was simply no time to be gone from our jobs. I just didn't understand why God did not work it out for us to go on this trip...a mission trip to help the needy and spread the gospel of all things! I have asked why so many times. I've questioned whether or not I should have gone on the trip alone. I was bothered to be at work in air-conditioning injecting cosmetics and healing acne that week when I could have been in the blazing-heat, healing the truly sick, needy people of Uganda. But, for some reason, I was not supposed to be there, and I had a strange peace despite my annoyance that my plans did not come to fruition.

Last night Isaac and I had dinner with the leaders/coordinators of that particular mission trip. We got to hear all that the Lord did through the medical team and other team members to reach the people of Uganda who desperately need medical care, clean water, mosquito nets, but need Jesus even more. I was sitting there just thinking, "why wasn't I there?!?" About the time I was mentally becoming very frustrated that I had missed out on this experience, the leader's wife, B, started to share her experiences from the trip. She looked my way and began a true story that broke my heart. She, being an American, was thought by the villagers to be rich. The people of this Ugandan village are extremely poor. Many of the women are taking care of their children and several orphans while bringing in an income for their families which never seems to stretch far enough. B said that a woman carrying a baby approached her and placed the baby in her arms. She then asked B to become the baby's mother and take the baby home with her to America. B, of course, had to tell this desperate woman "no" and give the baby back to its mother. Oh, my goodness...

I could not have handled that situation gracefully, nor would I have been able to focus on the task at hand had someone pleaded with me to take their baby home to the U.S. I would not have come home singing the Lord's praises for all He did, I would have been thinking about the little one left behind and his mother whom I could not help. My frustration immediately turned into gratefulness for the emotional protection provided for me. I'm thankful for an answer to my why and the reminder to simply trust.

Love the Least and Dads 4 Adoption

Isaac and I have decided to attend the "Love the Least" adoption conference hosted by First Baptist Church in Blackshear, GA, on November 20th, 2010. We are excited to receive encouragement and meet other adoptive families as well as hear the keynote speakers, Mike and Suzanne Mayernick, and Scott and Gwen Oatsvall, founders of 147 Millions Orphans.

I've had several friends mention to me since we've started the adoption process that they would love to adopt but their hubby isn't on board yet. I was watching Scott Oatsvall's Dads 4 Adoption video the other night while Isaac was eavesdropping a few feet away on the couch. Isaac watched the video and said that Scott really spoke to the heart of husbands and their fears associated with adoption. I encourage anyone and everyone to check out this adoption pep talk for dads! We can't wait to hear Scott and the crew speak in person! Our favorite quote of his is this: "God funds what He favors." Love it.

Conviction to be REAL

I haven't posted in a few weeks because, honestly, I have had nothing positive to say about the direction our adoption is going at this point in time. I was blessed to be able to attend an adoption support group (never thought I would ever attend a "support group" or have the need to attend one-doesn't God have a sense of humor?) this past weekend through an adoption ministry started through a group of adoptive parents at my church. The first part of the evening was more social, and then we all sat down and went around in a circle and shared our pre- and post-adoption struggles. A recurring theme was that these women (all the husbands but one were out-of-town) felt alone in their struggles because many blogs and online groups paint the adoption process as all "butterflies and rainbows." Let me tell you, this is not the way it really is! And, I felt very convicted that I am not being honest with the trials we are facing by only posting "good news" and "happy updates." Alot goes on in between the good times...

The truth is, I have been incredibly sad, disappointed, anxious, and depressed this summer as we wait on USCIS to approve us to bring our babies home. This approval means that we will finally make the coveted waiting list...no, we are still not on the waiting list after 8 months!!! I have never cried so much in my life. I cry on my way to work, sometimes at work, on my way home, and occasionally to sleep at night...my boys are the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I pray for before I fall asleep. Sometimes, when I am very still, my arms feel so incredibly empty that it takes my breath away. I knew this journey would be hard, but I never thought it would be this hard. I have been insanely jealous of everyone and anyone who gets on a waiting list for Ethiopia, no matter how long their wait is projected to be-even if it is longer than mine! Crazy, huh? And, I made my husband change the seats we have sat in at church for the past 2 years because I cannot sit behind the stroller section anymore without crying through half of the service. We won't even talk about my feelings when I spot a double-stroller!

Through all of these emotions and tears, the Lord has been so gracious to build a network of Christians around me to support us and lift us up. Another couple in our Sunday School class adopted a baby boy this year, and their wait was very long and had many ups and downs. They have been such an encouragement to us and have cheered us along by reminding us of the prize at the end of the journey. Another close friend of mine has been struggling with infertility for a year now. She and I have been able to honestly talk about our feelings and pray for one another to become mommies soon. I would never equate the adoption process to infertility, however, it has its similarities. We are both trying to get "pregnant", me on paper and my friend for real, and neither of us has been successful and our circumstances are currently out of our control. But, we both know that the Lord has placed in our hearts the passion to be mothers and that He will bring that desire to fruition. I'm so thankful for everyone who has encouraged us along the way, it means so much to me to know that others care for us and our babies and want to see us together as a family.

A verse that God keeps putting in front of me is Proverbs 16:9: "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." I know that He is trying to teach me that He has a plan and it is the best plan regardless of what I already have planned in my mind. You see, when we started this process, I thought that we would become parents next summer which would be perfect because that is a slower time at my job and the best time to take maternity leave. Well, God may have another idea because our wait time has increased by 3 months with no end in sight. I often wonder why God made me to be a planner and control-freak and call me to a passion and purpose which is almost completely out of my control?! I am trying to take comfort knowing that He knows who our children are...He knows their birth date...He knows when they are going to be orphaned...He knows when we will meet for the first time...He knows when we will become a family...He knows how long we will wait...He knew that this hold-up with Immigration would happen...He knew that we would need to start the process in January 2010 in order to get our children that He created for our family in the right timing...He knew that He would have to start working in our hearts to adopt almost 3 years ago so that all things would work together according to His plan! And He knows when I cry and He comforts me.

I know once all of our feet are on American soil and we are a family that I will say that Adoption is the hardest thing I have ever experienced, but also the greatest experience of my life, and I can't wait to do it again. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of taking this journey with You and for holding our hands the entire way.

Our First Ethiopian Meal

Isaac took me to dinner at Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant on Wednesday night. This was our first experience dining on Ethiopian cuisine and we really enjoyed it. The inside of the restaurant had authentic decorations, and we heard a few people speaking in Amharic, the native language in Ethiopia. We almost felt like we were there...

This picture cracks me up...our poor kids are going to have such a dorky mom...but here I am, in front of the sign for the restaurant, documenting for posterity!

Appetizers: Beef Sambussa and Buticha with Injera
The Beef Sambussa tasted like a spicy beef wonton. The Buticha reminds me of hummus but more chunky and spicy. The Injera is crepe-like and tasteless; it is used to dip and scoop up the food to eat instead of using utensils.

Entree: Queen's Eight Meal Platter

Starting from the green stuff and clockwise: Gomen (Collard Greens), Atikilt Alecha (Potato & Carrot), Ye Misr Wot (Lentil), Lamb Tibs, Tibs Wot (Beef), Chicken Tibs, Ye Kik Alecha (Split-Pea), and Doro Wat (Chicken leg & Boiled Egg)

My itty-bitty cup of Ethiopian coffee-it was thick as syrup! I think I'll stick with my Cafe Americano!

Marco Island, FL Vacation

The last week of July we drove south to Marco Island for vacation and a few days of continuing education for Kyle. Our friends, Jason, Katie, Carly and Abby, joined us again this year on our trip. We stayed in a beach condo and enjoyed both the beach and the pool during our stay.

Isaac got right to the good eating...we consumed alot of crab legs on this trip!

Abby & Isaac- on our way home from Naples one night after a crab feast, Abby was not too happy to be in her carseat and was letting everyone in the car know it! Miraculously, she stopped crying as soon as we pulled in the parking garage but the car was still moving...why?...because Isaac had taken her out of her carseat! She was so happy in his arms and out of her restraints. Isaac got a lesson on child-safety right after that and was told (by his wife) to never do that again. He is such a softy.

The six of us ate dinner one night at the Marriott with a few pharm reps that know Katie and I. Carly and Abby wore the cutest matching dresses.

Carly wanted to join Isaac and I in our picture.

Carly was my buddy for the week...she nicknamed me "Kyle-Wyle"

View from our balcony

The beach was soooo wide...even though our condo was "on the beach", it was a really long walk with all of our gear for the day.

Artwork on the beach...the beach was loaded with beautiful shells.

Sunset during a walk on the beach

Isaac and I attended a luau at the Marriott that the conference I attended put on for all the conference guests...it wasn't the same as the Marriott Waikoloa luau we attended 3 years ago! We were missing the luau pork and lomi-lomi salmon at this one.

Luau man playing with fire

Sunset the last night from our balcony...a beautiful demonstration of God's creation and a nice ending to our week.