Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Trip 2011

We went up to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge for our annual reunion with several of our college friends back at the beginning of March. We had an absolute blast, but decided the weekend was way too short, so we'll have to plan on at least a 3-day weekend next year and more rooms with bunk beds for all of the kids!

Andy and Dana made the *big* announcement of the weekend during our first night at the cabin...they are adopting a baby boy from Russia!!! We all were so thrilled and excited to hear that Joshua will be a big brother hopefully within the year!

Josh and Kelly and Hallie are waiting on their little boy from Ethiopia. Hallie was sweet as can be as always...her "I just love you"'s just melt my heart!

Traci and Mark enjoying dinner out with the group at Apple Barn...yum! Mark was supporting the Cats in Vol country:)

Isaac and I love the Apple Barn...great country cookin' and the best company too!

The girls (top left to bottom right) Leanne, Kelly, Me, Traci, Hallie, Alexa, Dana...somehow, I didn't get a picture of the Rogers family all together...Alexa belongs to Leanne and Nic and is big sister to Blake.

The guys (top left to bottom right) Nic, Mark, Josh, Isaac, Andy and Joshua (sleeping baby Blake not pictured)

Mark, Isaac, and Nic at Newfounder's Gap...the snow/sleet whited out the scenery....but they got their "adventure" in for the weekend.
Isaac and Alexa reacquainted and became fast friends...this picture of Alexa and Isaac with Josh and Hallie cracks me up because the girls got so tickled pulling on the guys' ears. Then the guys got to laughing too, even though they were stuck shopping at the outlets and then banned to Chick-fi-la with the kids while the ladies dined at Conners Steakhouse for lunch. They were good sports.
My mom surprised Isaac with a homemade strawberry birthday cake-his favorite!-for an early birthday celebration. The cake was a surprise all the way to the fridge, and I even had it hidden in the fridge until Isaac rummaged through the fridge to see what snacks everyone brought! He tried to play it off like he was surprised, but I wasn't buying it...he looked too guilty.
Isaac distracting Alexa from eating her dinner...all of the parents on this trip will be "paying back" to Isaac all of his "fun" with their kids...I had to remind him not to get the kids in trouble with their parents!
Alexa introduced us to baby Blake as soon as we walked in the door...she is so proud to be a big sis and Blake is such a sweet baby...we all enjoyed passing him around...I mean, stealing him from Traci!

Movement!

Isaac and I went away for part of the weekend with our friends, the Chaneys, to their family's lake property where there is zero cell phone service, so when I didn't see any referral updates before we hit the dead-zone and had received an email from Gladney stating that they were furiously updating all the documents so that referrals could go out but didn't say that any referrals would go out by the end of the day, I just thought that nobody got a referral last week...until this morning when I rechecked those at the top of the FBI waiting list and saw that yes!, one referral squeeked by on Friday!

Check out this baby girl referral at http://www.journeytomeskelsquare.blogspot.com/.

Congratulations!!! Can't wait to see some referral pictures!

We are excited to see some movement happening and are anxiously awaiting more referral posts in the coming days...and we are hoping to see our family move up the Gladney FBI list. Somehow, we did move up the list during the referral pause from #23 to #19...not sure how that happened, but we'll take it! Hoping for the top 10 in the next couple of weeks!

I was saddened to read another twin-only Gladney family's blog (http://www.beneaththeacaciatree.com) this morning who were hoping, praying, and praying some more for a referral last week and didn't receive one for their babies. I've been praying so hard for this family that they would get their babies soon~honestly, partly out of selfishness since if they get their referral then we should be closer to getting ours, but also out of true empathy for their broken hearts and longing to have their children become a part of their family.

I was thinking about this family and our adoption while I was in Sunday School this morning and was comforted both for them and for myself by Col. 1:17, "He (Jesus) is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Through all of the waiting that seems never-ending I have to remind myself (and God has had to continually remind me) that He has gone before me and is going before me to knit our family together and He is holding us all together so I don't have to worry about our future...easy said, not so easy in practice! Please pray for this family, Jamie and AJ, as they wait for the children God has for them...I'll keep you updated when those prayers are answered!

Six Months Waiting!

As of today, we have been waiting for our referral for our boys for 6 months! I'm still praying that we have 3 months or less to go until we get to see their sweet little faces...still praying for that July 11th "due date"...

...and now I'm really praying that they will be home by the beginning of December so that they can be at their Uncle Sammy's wedding (Sammy and Alyse got engaged last night!!! Congrats, lovebirds!) and meet all their Treesh Aunts and Uncles who live so far away (Japan, Germany, Alaska, Kentucky) who will be descending on Paducah, KY right before Christmas!!

No Gladney referrals went out today as far as I can tell...hoping to see some seriously HAPPY, JOYFUL, MUCH-ANTICIPATED referral pictures and videos online tomorrow!!! I'll keep you posted!

I know, I know...time for an update...

I know it has been awhile since I updated the blog...between general busyness and my dinosaur Sony Viao dying a slow death and replacing it with a MacBook that I haven't learned how to use yet, I'm a little behind on my blogging.

I do have good news on the adoption front: Gladney plans to start giving out referrals again this week! We do not believe that we will be a part of this group, but we are SO excited to watch others who have been waiting for so long and through so much adversity finally get to see their children for the first time and move forward with their adoptions. I plan to do some serious blog-stalking this week, and I'll keep everyone posted as the referrals go out so that you all can share in the joy!

Isaac started his career with Edward Jones last Monday and has had a great first week of studying for his Series 7 Exam. His study guide slides includes a lady literally speaking aloud and teaching the study slides...sounds like a foreign language to me! However, I think Isaac is enjoying learning this foreign financial language and is so excited to be in his career.

Now that I've figured out a way to post some pictures on this crazy new computer, here are some pictures from the LifeCare Ladies' Tea on March 26th. My mom and dad were in town that weekend, and my mom helped me make my table look pretty...it wasn't looking so hot before she got here and added some crafty elements. The tea was so touching...it always is and Ms. Karen always makes me cry...they shared an adoption story that really got my waterworks going and truly helped me better pray for our boys' birth mother in a deeper way. Thanks, Ms. Karen and LifeCare for ministering to me when I was supposed to be helping you!

Me and Mom

Sam and Katie

Mrs. Jane Nichols (Stacey's Mother-in-Law) and Mrs. Stacey Nichols

Kendall, Kendall's Mama, and Kendall's Mother-in-Law

My table...and no, I didn't sew anything this year! Sorry to disappoint!

I tried to make this year's table easier to set up and clean up...pretty paper plates and napkins from Target and "crystal" Chinet cups were tossed at the end of the tea, my guests cleaned off the goodies bags, and Sam graciously took home the UT Vol orange planter~even though it is orange, I did love it, it just didn't blend with the decor in my home but totally belongs in her kitchen!

I sponsored my table with my professional name and offered some cosmetic specials to attendees...I enjoyed seeing some patients at the tea and seeing those pretty special cards made by April coming into the office this past week.

Good News and an Answered Prayer!

We received official news from Gladney today that MOWA has increased the number of adoptions they are processing daily back up to 40 per day! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, Ethiopian orphans waiting for families, and families waiting on their children to come home! We so appreciate all of the calls, emails, cards, text messages, and personal words of encouragement these last two weeks. We really coveted your prayers as while all of the adoption unknowns were happening, Isaac prepared to leave SuperMedia last Friday to start his career at Edward Jones as a Financial Advisor on April 4th (which we are SO excited about!), and I got bad news at my job that my hours will be cut down to part-time due to the loss of a major insurance contract as of May 1st-talk about stress-city at our house!!! It was so uplifting to know that we have such a large adoption support team and so many prayer partners in adoption and life in general. Isaac and I both ran into people we admire in our Christian community and haven't seen or spoken to in a while who both told us that they had been praying for us and who didn't even know what was going on with our adoption or Ethiopia or our careers...that really blew me away, to know that God had brought us to these prayer warriors' minds, and they were faithfully praying for us and our children and were anxious to know when we were going to have our babies home! But, don't stop praying!!!...we aren't there yet!...keep praying for a referral by July 11th (that's our unofficial due-date)!!!

Isaac's 30 Birthday and CATS win the SEC!!!

Isaac celebrated his 30th birthday on March 9th! We left town that day to head up to CATlanta to cheer on the UK Wildcats to an SEC victory. We met up with my parents and Perry, and basically, ate lots of great food, watched some awesome UK basketball, and slept like babes those four days-just what we needed.

Here's Isaac on his big day after driving 6 1/2 hours from Tampa to Atlanta...

Perry aka Yoder Gatortail ("Yoder" for his Amish-looking beard and "Gatortail" for his odd haircut that looks like a really fat rat-tail in the back) and Isaac goofing off at dinner...what else would you expect with these two?

Perry, Isaac, Me, Mom and Dad at dinner at Stats for dinner after the Cats beat Ole Miss. Stats was the Kentucky Sports Radio headquarters and, surprisingly for a sports bar, had a great menu.

The Cats beat Alabama in their next game to make it to the Championship game...

After the UK fans cleared out each day, we got to move out of our cheap seats towards the floor.

Saturday night, we all went to the Buckhead Diner for dinner. The Buckhead Diner is very upscale for a diner, but looks like a classic diner from the outside...except for the valet parking. The crabcakes are incredible as well as the chocolate chip creme brulee. Perry was enthralled with the old-school cigarette vending machine-not sure what we are going to do with that boy!

Championship game: UK Wildcats vs. UF Gators

UK fans far out-numbered the UF fans...Rupp South was loud as ever!

We enjoyed all of the usual fanfare, cheers, and music-just like when we were in college.

The CATS won the SEC championship-Happy Birthday to Isaac!-that birthday gift worked out great!!!

Now we are all ready to watch the CATS play in Tampa this week in the NCAA tournament!

Ethiopia Adoption Alert Update

We waited all day today for an update from Gladney, the Joint Council on International Child Services, and/or the U.S. Department of State concerning the situation with Ethiopian adoptions. Late this afternoon we received news that there were discussions between the U.S. Department of State Office of Children's Issues, the Joint Council, USCIS, and many adoption agencies (including Gladney) regarding Ethiopian intercountry adoptions and the latest proposed changes. From what we have gathered, there was no true progress made towards reversing or bettering the adoption process in Ethiopia, but we did find out that on Monday there are talks planned with the Ethiopian courts and MOWA. Hopefully, there will be some resolution soon. We also learned that the head of MOWA has been terminated for unknown reasons...we don't know if this is good or bad, but time will tell. Unfortunately and frustratingly, we further were informed that those Ethiopian orphans who have been referred to international families can expect to wait in institutions/orphanages for up to another year before they will be united with their forever families due to the current changes that are being implemented. We really need to pray for these children and their families to feel peace in a devastating time and to not give up hope for their future as a family.

If you'd like to stay updated on the Ethiopian Adoption Alert:

http://www.jointcouncil.org/

http://www.adoptions.state.gov/

A few of our friends and family have asked if we are going to continue in our Ethiopian adoption...the answer is YES! We still truly believe that God has two of our children in Ethiopia, and we will not give up on them or God's calling on our family to Ethiopia. Is the waiting hard? Absolutely! Did we know going into the adoption process that it would require sacrifice of our timing, plans, money, emotions, and more? Of course. Is is worth it? We have to believe that it will be!

Thank you to all who have called and emailed us to tell us that you are praying for our family and all other children and families involved in Ethiopian adoptions. Your prayers and words of encouragement have meant so much to us...we feel so loved...and so reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness. Please add our family along with Ethiopian adoptions in general to your prayer requests lists on Sunday-we covet your prayers and believe that the Lord hears our cries to Him!