G.A.M.E. ON

Trip to North Carolina

2011-09-16T13:20:00.000-04:00

We started our drive after Derek got off of work and we had plans to drive as far as we could until we got tired. So we made it to Virgina after driving through downpours of it rain and a couple different detours around 2:30 in the morning. This point the kids were all asleep but as soon as we stopped at the hotel for the night, all the kids woke up and wanted to know if we were at the beach. After a good nights rest we head out again and only had a few hours to go. We saw lots of mountains in the morning and here are so pictures. My favorite picture is of the Runaway Truck Ramps!

The kids entertaining themselves with movies and DS. I also packed each kid a bag full of goodies, candy, and a few small toys. They loved it and kept them busy for a while. The kids were so good on the drive down and back. It really surprised me, there was no whinning!!

We arrived around noon to the hotel. The kids loved it! We had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and then a sleeper sofa and a full kitchen. We stayed at Tiffany's Motel at Topsail Beach. We was so much fun!

This was the first night and we went out for dinner.

After dinner I wanted to take some pics of the kids outside the resturant. There was a outside terrace to eat but it led down to the beach. The kids had fun making funny faces.

Except Mekie, she always has such a pretty smile!

They were so excited to get in the water! This was Ash and Mekie's first time seeing the ocean!

Before we headed to the beach, I told the kids to be careful not to go too far out in the water and explained the tide to them. Ash was too scared to even go in the water and Mekie took of running and Derek had to go after her! In one ear and out the other with her.

Ash and Ethan stayed up on the beach for a while and collected sea shells. We had quite the collection by the end of our trip. We even had a few snails.

After a day everyone had warmed up to the water and loved it. We were there all day some days and they never asked to go back to the hotel.

Ethan loved having daddy cover his feet up with sand.

More Fun Times in May...

2011-08-29T16:53:00.000-04:00

We had a new addition to our family. Derek's brother and his wife Kari had a little boy named Lucas. So for fun I had to take some pictures. Mekie just loves real babies. Over the past year she had no idea how to play with a baby doll but now she carries them all over! But when there is a real baby she gets so excited. She thought she was big stuff when she got to hold Lucas!

On Memorial Day Weekend, we went camping with my brother, his wife, and my grandparents. My dad also stopped in! My brother and his wife (Tyler and Elissa) bought the kids kites. That kept them entertained for a while. We had a few kites escape that we had to chase down, some got tangled, and just flew with no problems!

Tyler and Elissa also got the kids water balloons. That is Elissa below handing out the balloons.

We started out close and then moved farther back. They all did pretty good but had fun when they got wet!

Then we took the water balloons and tossed them over the raquet ball net. That did not turn out so good. It was a good idea but too hard.

Ethan loves his John Deere tractor. He likes to help daddy mow! But his tractor always goes too slow and runs out of gas!!

I think that is it for May...now onto June. I will catch up some day I know it. I have a full week at home and I had minor foot surgery this morning so been on the couch all day. So I know the next few days I should get more pictures up!

Garrett's 7th Birthday

2011-08-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

I asked what Garrett what he wanted to do for his birthday and he wanted a PJ party! So that's what we did. We asked the guests to wear their PJ's but it turned out that just my kids wore their PJ's. But we still had so much fun.

Garrett got lots of great toys that he wanted.

Garrett putting together his legos. He worked on them all by himself and finished them in a day and a half! I was pretty impressed!

Then Addison and our Miss Mekdes!

Well Happy Birthday Garrett! I can't believe you are 7 all ready. I so wish they could slow down growing!!!!

Pictures from May

2011-08-17T13:31:00.000-04:00

Still finding Mekie and Ethan sneaking into each others' rooms. And if you look closely at the picture you will find their hands together!

For Mother's Day we had doughnuts and we all built a birdbath with mosaic tiles. It turned out so good and it's in my flower bed.

Ash's graduation from Preschool. Now onto Kindergarten. Today is actually his first day of school. I can't wait to post pics from today. It was so sad to see my big boys off. Didn't think I would cry, but I did!

Mekie watching Ash graduate. It will be her turn next year!

Baseball

2011-08-09T22:02:00.012-04:00

Garrett had a great season! He was hitting off a pitching machine this year. From the first game to the last was a huge improvement. Every year gets more interesting to watch! It is so fun to see how every year he improves catching and hitting!

Daddy giving him a pep-talk before he hits!

Ash was not so sure about playing baseball this year but by the end he loved it. He was such a great hitter and has a rocket arm! He improved so much over the year. He didn't even know how to stand to hit a ball and by the end he was crushing the ball! Way to go Ash.

Mekie posing for the camera. As you can tell, Mekie had no care about baseball but had so much fun picking me bouqets. Thank you Mekie for all my pretty flowers this season!

Great job boys this year! Can't wait to see you play next year!

2011-07-11T20:16:00.011-04:00

Ethan so excited about his Easter basket!

What a little ham!

Ash loved this new experience!

Our Crew!!! What a good looking bunch of kiddos!

Easter 2011

2011-06-19T18:40:00.014-04:00

Boy, am I way behind or what!!! Easter? Well, we have the auction behind us and now I will try and catch up. So yes, Easter! So this was Mekie and Ash's frist Easter and first time coloring eggs.

Mekie being a little "Princess" as we call her.

Ethan silly as usual!!

Garrett and Daddy were arguing back and forth about being a smurf! So the history behind being a "smurf" is that one year when Garrett was around 3 he spilled blue dye on himself and Derek called him a smurf. So every year Garrett wants Derek to spill blue on him so Garrett can call daddy "Papa Smurf". But it hasn't happened yet!!

This was Easter morning!

This was our annual Easter picture! So happy Easter (a few months behind)

More to come on our silent auction so stay tuned!

Spring planting!

2011-06-11T20:55:00.012-04:00

I had an idea to plant some seeds as a fun activity for the kids. So we picked up these greenhouse start-up kits. They each got to pick out their own seed packets. (We have radishes and no one likes radishes! But that's what you get when they can't read the package so we will be trying radishes later this summer!) So above Daddy is explaining what we are doing.

Ethan is dropping his seeds into the holes. So we have some carrots, peas, flowers, tomatoes, and radishes.

Later that day, it got warmer so the kids got their water guns out. They went crazy squirting each other. By the end they were soaked! They had so much fun.

As you can tell from the background, it was early spring and there wasn't even leaves on the trees but for some reason it was hot that weekend. So I am trying to catch up to recent photos! I will get there some day.

So the next set of pictures will be Easter! Yes, I know I am way behind!

We have been really busy with working on the fundraiser. We hope that you all make it. So make sure you have the date saved on your calendar, FRIDAY, JULY 8TH 6:30-9:30. We are finishing up getting donations in and I am so excited for all of you to see the generosity of so many companies and people. Derek and I are now working on advertising. We will be setting up booths this weekend and speaking at a church to get the word out.

Just another Saturday Morning...

2011-06-09T16:27:00.012-04:00

The morning starting off with donuts and cartoons, what could be a better start to a Saturday than that for kiddos?

Ethan turns out to be the messiest one of all!Ash has his smile mostly all day long!

But here below was the true realty for Ash and Mekie less than a year ago!

This was their food every day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No options, they eat it or go hungry!This is their choice of drink, WATER! No orange juice to accompany their donut, no milk to quench their thirst but dirty lake water with who knows what is in it!

And below is their style of house, no heat on cold nights, no air on hot days! No basement, no bathrooms, no seperate rooms for the kids and parents, all on one big bed (not the kind that is soft with pillowtops or down feathers, no it's the kind with sticks and straw). That's where my babies are from, that was their typical Saturday morning and every other day! Just say a prayer for the children in the 3rd world countries tomorrow as you click on the Saturday morning cartoons and have 100's of options on what to eat and drink for breakfast!!!!

Trip to Botanical Conservatory

2011-06-03T17:10:00.014-04:00

My brother and sister-in-law came up for the weekend awhile again (and haven't had time to post) but we went to the conservatory downtown. We have lived in Fort Wayne for 4 years and haven't visted there yet. So we went one afternoon and had such a good time. The kids actually had a fun time looking at the flowers and they had a peter pan exhibit there.

At the entrance was a large tree and Mekie had fun opening the door and playing peek-a-boo!

This was the Peter Pan Exhibit. There was a large boat with some slides. The big kids, that was us, sat and watched them play for a while! Like usually, Ash was quite reserved about crossing the water to get on the boat. But he warmed up and had so much fun!

Little Ethan had a hard time climbing up the steep boardwalk to get to the slides so he hung out below the deck!After the boat, we went to the waterfall area. It was so peaceful and the waterfalls were so pretty! The kids all sat down on benches and just watched the waterfall for a while.

The kids at the top of the waterfall.

I couldn't help but take pictures of flowers. They were so pretty!

Then we went to the worm area and the kids crawled through this tunnel that resembles a worm hole. That is what Garrett is looking through. The ceiling had what vegetables look like under ground. The kids had fun guessing what they were.

Ash got tired of walking around and found a bench to take a rest while we were looking at flowers.

More flowers!

It was a pretty fun! Then when we were trying to decide what we would do after for dinner, I was looking for my keys. I couldn't find them anywhere. So guess what Wendy did? That's right, I left my keys in my car downtown in the parking garage! I was so nervous but there was my durango, untouched! So after I said a little prayer and thanked God, we headed to the Amish resturant in Grabill. I have heard of this resturant but been scared to go because it is at an Amish house and they only offer food on Fridays and Saturdays. I felt ackward going into someones house and eating. So I got brave to go since my brother was here. But when we got there, it was actually not in the house but in a seperate building that looked like a barn. It was buffet and there was actually quite a lot of people in there. The food and service was great. I would recommend that place to anyone. Tyler and Elissa really enjoyed themselves. So thanks to Tyler and Elissa for coming and spending the weekend with us!

Our Amazing God!

2011-05-24T21:28:00.007-04:00

Believe it or not, this summer (July 30th) will be our 1 yr aniversery of leaving for Ethiopia to pick up our kids! We feel so incredibly blessed that God has entrusted the upbringing of Garrett, Ash, Mekie, & Ethan into our parental care. They are our true blessings in life, and we desire nothing more than to see them grow to love God and love others.

We are studying the book of Esther at our church and the topic is God's providence. Looking back on the last several years of our lives, it is so amazing to see how God's divine providence has played out at every twist and turn. Even when we make selfish choices or flat out wrong choices, God can turn them around and weave them into His ultimate plan. We serve a God capable of anything and everything, and all that's required of us is faith. However, true faith is a faith that produces fruit in the lives of the people we come in contact with. God has placed us on an amazing journey and where it ends, only he knows, but we're so excited that he has chosen to use us (even if it's in a small way) to impact His kingdom. Through the events of our adoption and contacts we've made, we've had the priviledge of becoming involved in this great organization (Starved4Hope). God has formed this organization by taking several likeminded families from around the country and connected them with a common vision to serve Him through caring for the "least of these" around the globe. A couple weeks ago we agreed to formaly partner with Starved4Hope and commit our time and resources to growing this ministry. Not because we want to see this organization achieve success by human standards, but because we believe in the biblical backing and foundation for this ministry. On top of that, there are countless lives who our counting on us (the global church) to be the hands and feet of God and meet them in their time of need. We are grateful to be able to serve with this incredible group of people, and we are are constantly amazed at God's power on display as people step up to make a difference in the world. God can use each and every one of us to accomplish His purpose if we only release control to Him.

We're also excited to let you know that S4H is taking on the administration of a 2nd carepoint near Awassa, Ethiopia called the Warancha carepoint. More to follow on this exciting news, but the focus again will be on finding sponsorships for the nearly 270 kids supported by this carepoint. Please don't misunderstand, the work at Tullo Kebele is not done. More sponsors are needed, as well more capital for the building projects. However, God has opened this door for a 2nd carepoint and we're excited to step through it! Please keep the children of Ethiopia in your prayers, as their needs are severe. Please also consider if God would desire you to step out on faith and invest in the lives of these children, either through sponsorship or giving towards a capital project.

God Bless,

Derek

Tullo Latrine Project - Matching Challenge!

2011-05-16T18:07:00.007-04:00

First off, we want to say thank you so much to all of the generous people that have donated financially to the Tullo Bathroom project. The entire Starved4Hope team is greatful for your generosity that will have such a huge impact on the children of this region. Having a sanitary restroom will certainly improve the health and hygiene for these kids. Scripture tells us you will be richly rewarded in heaven for your selfless acts on earth.

Now, the challenge part! We have raised a total of $9,650 of the $11,984 needed to complete this project. We've come so far, so there's no chance we're stopping now! We need to raise the remaining $2,334 and we need your help. We are issuing a matching challenge for anyone who donates $100 or more until this project is completed. So... if someone steps up to donate $1,000, we'll match that donation and be within a couple hundred bucks! Or, if 11 different people make $100 donations, we'll match all of them! Either way, we need your help to get this over the goal line. I know this sounds like a typical fundraising gimmick. However, when children's lives are at stake all gimmicks are fair game as far as we're concerned! Struggling to believe that installing a bathroom in Ethiopia can actually save lives? Trust me, it's not a stretch...

The second part of this offer is we will be giving away 2 Simply Love T-shirts for FREE!
Here is how to get into the drawing:
*Post a comment on our blog is one ticket
*Post this blog posting on your facebook page or blog is one ticket
*Donating to the Bathroom project -Every $25 is a ticket

Here's a picture of the shirts. And... proceeds from every shirt go to support the adoption process for the Detmers family in Ft. Wayne, IN. So by making a donation to the bathroom project you can support 2 great causes, not just 1!

July 8th - Save the Date!

2011-05-11T22:07:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let you know that we are planning a fundraising event for Friday, July 8th at 7:00pm at Pine Hills Church in Fort Wayne. This is going to be an awesome event, and we just recieved confirmation that Tom Davis, President of Children's Hopechest and auther of "Red Letters" and "Fields of the Fatherless" will be coming to speak at this event! If you have read any of Tom's books you can feel his heart for the orphans in his words. We are in full on planning mode for this fundraiser now, and we are seeking businesses that will donate items or services that could be auctioned off at a silent auction. All proceeds will directly benefit the children of the Tullo Kebele care point in Awassa, Ethiopia. If you would like to donate an item or if you know of any small business owners that may consider donating an item, please, please, please, let me know! We are looking for techy items like e-readers, ipads, etc... as these type of items seem to go over well. However, any item or service would be greatly appreciated as a donation to this great cause. Please call me or email me if you would like to find out how you can get involved in this event and make it as big as possible for the children of Ethiopia!

Blessings,
Derek & Wendy

Playground Project

2011-05-05T12:53:00.003-04:00

We have a couple, that not only are great friends but share our passion to help the children at our carepoint in Ethiopia. They have also adopted twins from America a year ago. They are marking this special anniversary by raising money for the Children at Tullo in Ethiopia. Please check out her link below to follow how they are raising money for this great cause! She has some great giveaways. An Apple I-pod!!!!! and don't forget Premier Jewelry!!!!!

http://brownstreeintheforest.blogspot.com/2011/04/tullo-kebele-playground-project.html

Easter Bags

2011-04-18T12:52:00.005-04:00

I saw an idea a while back about kids making up Easter baskets and selling them to raise money for a cause. I thought that was such an amazing idea. So I pondered on it for a while and thought about the children downtown at the Charis house. The Charis house is a women's shelter for homeless women and children. I kept putting it off letting myself believe that it wasn't a good idea or it was too late to put baskets together. Derek and I have been reading "Radical" by David Platt. It is such a great book but very convicting. One day last week after reading part of a chapter, I talked with Garrett about making baskets for the children downtown. He was so excited about it! I picked up the phone before I could make any more excuses and called the Charis House. I didn't have time to think of what I was going to say so I just spoke what was on my heart! They were so excited but the children and their mothers were all ready taken care of by another church group. However, the single women at the house still needed someone or group to step up for them. So, I told them I would be happy to make baskets for them. They have 24 single women right now living at the house. I called a few friends and asked if they would help me get some donations. They really came through. We had some donations of devotionals, chocolate, stationary, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, make-up, nail polish and files, and of course, jewelry!!! One place in town also donated paper sacks. The kids took one day and decorated each bag with crosses, rainbows, and Garrett even spelled out Jesus by himself on some bags. It was so nice that day they wanted to color the bags that we took this project outside. They had such a great time and really were excited to do something for others.

Even Ethan took part on coloring but he didn't want to color crosses, he wanted to color "frog stations"!!! Then on Saturday we had finished collecting donations and then lined the bags up in our living room and the kids helped fill them full! Then I tied ribbon on the top to make a handle. Below is how this project turned out! We just got back from dropping the bags off and a huge box of donations that didn't fit in the bags!!! It was so much fun to see how the kids really got involved in this project and how excited they were when we dropped them off today! It was such a great feeling and so rewarding to help out others. So I challenge you, the next time you feel like you should do something to help others, don't ignore it! Stop what you are doing and pick up the phone or whatever it may be that you need to do to help someone or some group!

I will try to post more from this weekend. It was a busy one!

My Little Ethan

2011-03-26T11:24:00.002-04:00

Oh, my Ethan! He is going to my baby boy even when he is 18! He melts my heart in every way. He is the sweetest, caring, loving kind hearted little boy and says the funniest things, BUT he is a little monster. He has broke more things around the house then my other 3 kids, he is always crying because he can't catch up, or crying for some other reason, he hits and screams when his brothers or sisters won't give him something he wants, and he is the worst to take into a store! But no matter what, he brings so much joy into my life that I'm tearing up while writing this. He just has to come to me with his head hung low and his big brown eyes and tell me, "I sorry, mommy" and I can't help but forgive him. However, there are those moments where he has to leave the area I'm in for a while so I can calm down like the day that he pulled his birthday cake down on top of him right after I just picked the cake up from my cake lady. Or the day that he hung on my desk drawer until the drawer fell to the ground. But again, he is my baby, and I keep telling my self that is why God made him so cute, so I would eventually forgive him and move on with my day!

So his new favorite saying is "Cause I don't want to!" So I say, "we have to go get the kids from school, lets go!" And he replies, "Cause I don't want to" So no matter what you say to him and he doesn't want to do it, he will reply with "Cause". It is so cute and I have to admit that I have let it go on longer then I should but again, he is my baby! And he knows that because when he gets to do something the other kids don't, he tells them all "I'm the baby!". He is such a stinkpot!

So the picture below is of Ethan falling asleep on the steps while I was getting ready for a jewelry show! I told him to stay in his room for quiet time and he wouldn't. So I made him sit on the steps until I was all done in the bathroom. So when I came out he was sound to sleep on a stack of towels that I had folded earlier! It was just so cute!!! So that is what my little Ethan is up to, making me smile and warming my heart but always, and I mean always keeping me up on my toes!!!!
I love you little man!!!

Birthday for Ash and Ethan

2011-03-22T13:44:00.008-04:00

. I wanted to share the Birthday party we had for Ash and Ethan. After we finished with wrestling that morning, the family then joined us to open presents and eat cake and ice cream. Ethan's actually birthday is on 12-27 and Ash's is 02-02. But we always celebrate Ethan's birthday in March because that is what Derek and I decided to do. (despite the grumbles we hear, we like it) And then Ash's birthday weekend was full and so were the following weekends. So we decided since it was getting so close to March when we would have Ethan's we should just celebrate the birthday parties together. So Ash wanted a Monster Truck party and Ethan wanted Lightening McQueen. So at the bottom you will see the cake that had both!

The boys enjoyed all their presents and money. They took turns opening the presents that way everyone could see what they got!

Both of them got some summer clothes and a camping chair with their names of it. Ash got some DS games and of course, monster trucks and more. Ethan got Lightening McQueen toys and Tonka truck track and other outdoor things.

So this was their cake. Monster Trucks and Mcqueen cars! I had a friend that made the cake, trying to take the stress out of me feeling the need to plan a big party! So the now funny story about the cake is when I got home from picking up the cake from my friend, I put the cake on the counter and pushed it back so it was out of sight, out of mind plus thinking the kids couldn't reach it. Little did I know, Ethan could reach it! And he wanted to see his Lightening McQueen cake so bad. So he was pulling the cake towards him and I walked right out of my bedroom and saw the cake (which was pretty heavy) fall right on top of him. I was in slow motion screaming, "NO!" I was so mad at him!!! But Derek took him out to run some errands so I could repair the cake and calm down. So when he came back he had his sad face and said sorry to mommy! The cake fell on it's side to it smashed the edging and the cars all feel off and dented the cake on top. So I took the crumbs that was suppose to be the dirt and filled in the dents. So it, luckily, was still in pretty good shape! So that is our funny store about the cake this year!

The boys both loved their cake, made a wish and blowed out the candles!

Happy Birthday to my baby boys!

The Boy's First Wrestling Meet

2011-03-17T12:25:00.009-04:00

This year, both boys were old enough to wrestle. And we heard story upon story of how Ash used to wrestle in Ethiopia. So I asked Ash if he wanted to wrestle and of course he did. So once Ash wanted to do it, so did Garrett. There are meets that the boys can go to all through the season but we decided just to try the Leo meet. Then we went ahead and invited the family out to watch the boys wrestle and then celebrate Ash and Ethan's birthday's after. When the boys woke up that morning they were full of excitement and anticipation. But as they got there and there were a lot of kids, they were getting scared. My whole family was there to watch them so Garrett and Ash were sitting with us until it was time to wrestle.

This was Ash's first match. He did really good but he lost both of his matches. It is quite a different scene at a wrestling meet than I'm used to. It was really hard for me to listen to the other dad screaming at the top of his lungs to his child to take down my son!

This was one of the times Ash was on top! YEAH.

Mekie loving on her brother!!!

Garrett's first match. He also did a great job but lost both matches also. His last match didn't end so well as he hurt his elbow and then didn't want to shake hands. So after he calmed down he did go and shake the boy's hand but that might be the end of his wrestling career! (I can only hope!!! I can't handle my baby being taken down and there is nothing I can do)

The wrestling tournament did bring back good memories for my family. My brother wrestled in a club like the boys when he was little. So it was fun thinking about those fun times. But the boys were ready to head home and get into party mode! The next set of photos will be from Ash and Ethan's birthday party with the family.

Ash's First American Birthday

2011-03-17T10:26:00.006-04:00

I have not posted in so long. But I have so much to share. So many fun things have happened since my last post. We celebrated Ash's first birthday which is actually his 5th birthday. So we are keeping the birthday's low key this year we just invited some friends over. Ash's actually birthday was on the blizzard so we had his friend's over the next day. I made cupcakes and little goodie bags up and the kids just played for a few hours in the basement and then came up for cupcakes!

Well I will keep adding more posts soon. We still have another birthday to post! I have to run and pick Garrett up from school and get Mekie ready to go to school. Then we are off to enjoy this beautiful spring weather.

Quick trip to Indy

2011-02-06T08:52:00.002-05:00

After an extremely long week, we headed to Indy for the weekend. Last week Derek was out of town the entire week. And I was snowed in with 4 kids for 3 days. While I was snowed in, Garrett lost his first tooth, Ash celebrated his 5th birthday (1st birthday in US), and the sewer backed up! So all I have to say about that was the kids were extremely great and made for a pleasant time snowed in even if the house smelled like sewer!I have to say that I have the best kids in the whole world!!

So I had a jewelry show in Indy on Saturday so Derek and the kids came along. So when we were getting ready to leave there was no snow and then the heavens opened and it was pouring down with snow! We all ready had our hotel and the kids were so excited to go swimming so we continued on. Almost ever 2 miles there was some that had slid off the road into the ditchd. Only one time were we backed up in traffic for 30-45 minutes with a big accident ahead. And as we got closer to Indy the snow wasn't slowing down and the roads were so bad that my show finally canceled. So I had the whole day free with the family and we finally arrived to our hotel safe.

So once in the hotel the kids couldn't wait to go swimming. We all got changed and headed down to the pool. Then we had one more surprise for the kids, INJERA!!! I know most of you don't know what that is but Ash and Mekie love it! It is what they ate the 4 years they lived in ET. Fort Wayne doesn't have any Ethiopian resturants or ways to get injera. So after swimming we headed to an Ethiopian resturant to get some injera! Garrett or Ethan had never had any before so they were not quite sure what to expect. But it ended with Garrett begging to stay!!!

So when we entered, we were the only ones there and there was a TV playing an Ethiopian DVD with dancing and music. Mekie and Ash were so shy but had big smiles. Garrett was also very shy and didn't know what to do and Ethan was just Ethan. So we took a seat and ordered injera with Dora Wat (spicy chicken stew that the Ash and Mekie ate every day at the care center) and some potatoes, and eggs and beef. While waiting for our food we were talking with our Ethiopian waitresses. They were speaking Amharic to Ash and Mekie but they were so shy they wouldn't speak it. They covered their faces and just laughed. Mekie wanted to dance so bad and our waitress kept asking her to dance but she wouldn't. After our food came, everyone got injera. Garrett stoically started to pull it apart and eat the toppings with little complaint. Ash and Mekie pounded their food. Ethan, to our surprise, loved the Dora Wat and even though he kept saying "It spicy" , he wanted more.

So Mekie still dancing to the music in her seat while eating, I bargined with her, dancing for ice cream! So she agreed. She went up front with our waitresses and danced for an hour or so. And as the time went on Garrett crept up front, then Ethan, then Ash and they all were dancing. Derek enjoyed a conversation with an Ethiopian man that either worked there or knew the waitresses. I so enjoyed watching my kids dancing. It was such an unexpected, pleasant evening. Everyone left wanting to stay longer and had enjoyed themselves. I love Ethiopians. They are so welcoming and loving!

So on the way back to the hotel, since I promised Mekie ice cream and she entertained the entire resturant for an hour, we had to stop and get ice cream! Then into jammies and we watched Toy Story 2 until everyone's eyes were heavy.

So I have to brag about my kids for one moment! When I say I have the best kids in the whole world, I mean it. I love going away with them. Some people see it as added stress taking kids away for the weekend. But I love it. They are good in the car, they each carry their own bags, they are well behaved, and they listen to directions so good. Derek and I loved yesterday with the kids and it couldn't have been any better!

So for this morning, we are up, had breakfast, and Derek took the kids down to swim while I finished typing this post. So I am wrapping this up so I can go down and play with my family!

Have a great Sunday!

Wendy

2011-01-26T15:10:00.005-05:00

This is Issacc and he is our friends' little boy. They brought him home from Columbia a few weeks after we brought Ash and Mekie home. The kids had off Martin Luther King day so my friend, Natalie, brought her kids out so we could offically meet our adopted children. It was so good to catch up and see how God is moving in their lives to advocate for adoption!
These are their 3 boys and our 4 kids. So it was a fun afternoon with 7 kids!

These pictures came about today after Mekie found a picture in a book of a dog wearing glasses and playing on a computer. The kids thought it was so funny. So the 4 kids worked together to plan how dress Molly in glasses and play on the computer. So below is the final picture with Molly in glasses working on the computer! Good job working together kids!

Question of the Day

2011-01-20T19:44:00.009-05:00

Why..? Why are there over 1 billion starving people in the world? That's roughly 1 in 6 people on the face of the planet that is starving... I'm not talking about missing a meal every now and then, I'm talking about literaly starving. How can it be that the Lord has given us a planet that produces enough food for each of it's inhabitants to consume over 3,000 calories a day and yet 1 in 6 can't even get 1 basic meal a day? How can it be that there are people intelligent enough to put a man on the moon, and yet we can't figure out how to put food in the hands of those who need it the most..? Is it because we don't care? Please tell me it's not that... It must be more complicated than that..? Is it because we are (by in large) ignorant to the realities of the world around us? Hopefully that's closer to the truth. At least in ignorance we have an excuse, right?. Unfortunately, our ignorance / excuse is being removed as our eyes are opened and focused more clearly. What would Jesus say to us (his followers) if he were walking the earth right now? Would he say "well done faithful servant" or would he be ashamed to see the greed and selfishness that even his followers seem to fall in to? Don't get me wrong, I'm as guilty as anyone... I know many people who are extremely generous with what God has blessed them with. But is it enough? Could we do something more... something bigger? It's my belief that we must. The clock is ticking and time is running out for many people. Sadder still is that many of these people will never have heard the name of Jesus Christ proclaimed before their death.

Let's do something about it! As mentioned Wendy and I are advocating for the children of Tullo carepoint in Awassa, Ethiopia. These kids are beautiful and desperately in need of food, medical care, education, and spiritual nurturing. You have the opportunity to help them on a very personal level. Sponsorship of a child costs $34 / month and provides for their basic needs. It also allows you the opportunity to share letters with them and let them know they are loved by someone. What better way to let them experience the love of Christ. This money, although it doesn't seem like much, goes so much farther than you would expect. For some families this small amount would more than double their entire family income! Would you please be the difference for one of these children?

Dagim Daniel DOB: 3/14/2003

Aklilu Ledamo DOB: 1/25/2004

Samuel Egu DOB: 9/2/2004

Please post a comment on this blog or send us an email at wjwalz@hotmail.com if you would
be willing to change the life of one of these 3 children today!

Praise be to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,

Derek & Wendy

2011-01-19T09:31:00.003-05:00

When I first read about Little Goody 2 Shoes and the eleven year old girl with a mission to buy shoes for children in Ethiopia, I immediately purchased two of her adorable $6 necklaces, one for me and Mekie.So I wanted to let everyone know about the amazing work this little girl has gotten done!

So far she's sold 314 necklaces. She has raised $1870 and has purchased 103 pair of brand new shoes!

To order a necklace and read her blog click here:
http://littlegoody2-shoes.blogspot.com/

Continued...It's a Snow Day

2011-01-12T17:37:00.002-05:00

Well, it is coming to an end of the day and just wanted to let you know that I'm still singing and dancing because it's a snow day. The kids were awesome today. There was no fighting or screaming at all today. That is an amazing day!!

We didn't have any where to go so we just stayed in. The kids played most of the day inside and then this afternoon we headed outside to play. I played pictureka with Garrett and Ash, played puzzles with Mekie and Ethan, and even got to do computer games with the older 3. As a stay at home mom, you think you would have so much more time to play with your kids and get things done with the house and then you will be bored but you're not. I have been missing playing with my kids so much because we have been so busy. But today I put work aside and was flexible with the day and did what the kids wanted to do! I am so thankful for days like this.

YEAH!! SNOW DAY

2011-01-12T08:29:00.012-05:00

Well I'm a little behind on pictures so I wanted to show you what fun we had on New Years.

These are some pictures from New Years Eve. We had such a great time. Derek's brother and wife came out with their daughter and my brother and his wife came out. The kids were so excited to show their aunts and uncles their new toys from Christmas. We also played the new Wii Dancing for kids game. And as you can tell the adults enjoyed it too. The picture above is of Kari, Derek's brother's wife that is 20 weeks pregnant, and me. And the picture below is Derek and his brother.
And then we decided to go ice skating. I had only went skating once and Derek had never gone. So we were about to take 4 kids with us having no experience on how to skate. Sounds like fun! Well we had enough help that day so we tried it! It was actually a really fun time. The other nice thing about having family there was that Derek and I got to skate a couple rounds together!

Uncle Doug and Ash. Ash was pretty unsure of himself. But he was doing much better by the end. He was even trying it by himself.

Aunt Elissa and Mekie. Mekie is so light that it was easy to skate with her. She was also unsure but found her skating legs pretty fast.

Garrett- he amazed me. His first time skating and he took off with no help. Yes, he fell quite a bit and was soaked by the end but he didn't complain once. He had a great time. Oh, to be a kid again!!

And then my little baby- he had to stay with Uncle Tyler and he wasn't too happy. He wanted to skate so bad. Maybe next year, Ethan!

So I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Well today school is closed and I'm actually singing and dancing that my kids are home with me today! I might not be singing and dancing by the end of the day but for now we are excited. We had a busy day planned today but now we are going to be playing in the snow and doing things around the house. I'm ready for a day with my kiddos!!! Get ready...set...and we're off to enjoy a day home!!

Our little Girl from Awassa, Ethiopia

2011-01-08T21:45:00.002-05:00

This is the little girl we sponsor through Starved 4 Hope. Her name is Birtukan and $34 a month gives her food, basic medical needs, an education, and most importantly discipleship. As a family we are so excited to be committed to pray and correspondence with her, she will witness the love of Christ in a way she wouldn't otherwise. Her picture is on our fridge and we have explained to the kids what sponsorship is about. I think the older ones understand but the younger ones don't quite get it. Mekie keeps asking when they are coming home. And Garrett says it's like we have 6 kids!!(We have another child through Compassion) In addition, through sponsorship, we are also able to provide an opportunity for our children to be a part of a global mission. What a wonderful way to teach them to care for others as God instructs us; through this outreach program, we are able to teach our children to be aware of the issues that effect people throughout the world. But, not only are we raising our children's awareness, they are actually helping to make a difference.

The thing I love about Starved 4 Hope and Hope Chest is that you are able to go on annual mission trips and visit your child or children. Since Derek and I were wanting to go back to Ethiopia on a regular basis, this really was exctting to us. So when we travel back we can actually take packages to our child.

To tell you a little more, Starved 4 Hope is a Christian, non-profit organization that has partnered with Children’s Hope Chest to be coordinators and advocates for the Tullo Kebele School in Awassa, Ethiopia. Currently, all funds for projects, mission trips, and sponsorship are paid through Children’s Hope Chest as they have already established their 501©3 status (which S4H is in the process of filing for).

So, please, contact Derek or I as soon as possible so this children can experience the love of God! There are still 128 kids still needing a sponsor! Please look at the post below for links to Starved 4 Hope and Hope Chest.

Our Gotcha Day video!!!

2011-01-07T07:52:00.002-05:00

We finally got our gotcha day video up! I am pretty excited to finally have it up for you to see it. Our worship pastor at our church put it together, so thank you Nirup! I can't tell you how many times I have watched it but every time I cry. It was such an amazing and emotional week in Ethiopia it is so hard to explain but the video says it all!

Children of Awassa, Ethiopia (Tullo)

2010-12-28T14:29:00.007-05:00

Today we have committed to the Lord and to ourselves to make a difference in the lives of children at the Tullo carepoint in Awassa, Ethiopia. After returning from Ethiopia, Wendy and I have felt called to do "something" about what we witnessed when we were there. Although we are capable of nothing in and of ourselves, we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. Through prayer and seeking the Lord's will, we have come in contact with the Bestful's who have recently started Starved 4 Hope (a non-profit organization). They, like us, have recently adopted from Ethiopia and have felt called to action. Starved 4 Hope is responsible for finding sponsors for all 168 children at the Tullo carepoint as well as raising the necessary funds to complete much needed capital projects at the carepoint such as putting in a well, or building schools.

The current need is to find sponsors for all 168 children at the carepoint. Wendy and I are committed to help find these generous & loving people who will make a difference in the life of a child or children half way around the world. Sponsorship will enrich the childs life by meeting their; physical, emotional, & spiritual needs. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us by sponsoring a child today! The cost of sponsorship is $34 / mo, but the benefits to the child and your family will far outweigh this small price.

Please contact us at wjwalz@hotmail.com to find out more information. The website for Starved 4 Hope is http://starved4hope.org/ . All funds are funneled through Hope Chest and their website is http://www.hopechest.org/ .

We are so excited to see the Lord work through this new opportunity!

God Bless,

Derek & Wendy Walz

Also, the video off to the side is actually pictures of some of the children at the Tullo school taken from the founders of Starved 4 Hope back in September.

One year ago today...

2010-12-22T20:50:00.002-05:00

I am watching "A Home for the Holidays" right now and this is the program that has been on TV the last 12 years at this time of year. And this same program, Derek and I watched a year ago. I watched it with tears streaming down my face as I saw so many kids that want families and love. At this time last year, I had a miscarriage only 3 months ago and I didn't know if we should continue to have a baby, look into adoption, or having no more kids all together. So as I watched this and saw how many kids are out their that need a family, it broke my heart. I know God used this show to speak to me that night one year ago to move me; move me, grow me, and bring about strength that is only God given. As I sit here and watch this show, I fight back tears again as I think about all the feelings I was thinking of last year and my feelings now and how it still breaks my heart to watch those kids. I know Derek will think I'm crazy when he reads this, but I would love to bring those kids home and love on them. I think of all the things that Derek and I did this past year and how crazy, exhilarating, and just not natural it is to adopt but we never would have done it without stepping out on faith! And because of our adoption, Ash and Mekie have livened our home with lots of laughter, joy, and yes, more tears but so much more happiness! Thank you God for that show that we watched one year ago today and for growing us enough to step out on faith and follow you on one amazing adventure!

Start to the Christmas pics....

2010-12-21T21:21:00.027-05:00

Christmas this year was so amazing. We started our adoption right at the beginning of the year and our hopes were to have our children home by Christmas. Well God brought them home way before that. So God made our Christmas so special this year by having our children home with us! Four kids, I won't lie, are a handful but such a blessing! Well I am starting off my post with a picture of the youngest in oldest in my family. My great grandpa is 90 and my baby is 3. What another blessing to still have my great grandpa and my kids's great, great grandpa still able to celebrate Christmas with!
Some of these pictures are at my mom's house and my Aunt's house. We had my mom's Christmas and my Grandma's Christmas the weekend before Christmas so I just grouped them together.

Mekie in her pretty Christmas dress. I had so much fun picking out a dress for her but she squashed it when I showed her the dress and she said, "I no like it!" Well she had to wear it anyway but she looked like a precious Ethiopian princess even though she didn't think so.

Mekie was happy to get a car her Barbie's fit in (since Barbie's don't fit into Matchbox cars!!)

Ethan loving his Uncle Tyler (my brother).

Garrett getting a new sled. He loves it. He got to use it later that day! Continue to read to see the pictures and fun experience sledding!

Ethan then moving onto his Aunt Elissa! Oh, Ethan, he's my baby. I will have such a hard time when he doesn't want to be held any more!

Ash has grown fond of his Uncle Tyler. He told me the other day when it's his birthday he wants to have a monster truck on his cake with Uncle Tyler. And I responded by saying, " You mean like Uncle Tyler's monster truck". He said, "No, a monster truck AND Uncle Tyler!" It was too funny. So I had to call Tyler right away and tell him.

I have never seen a boy so excited to get a bookbag! Ash screamed with excitment over it! I couldn't get a picture quick enough to show his excitement!

After we opened presents at my mom's house, the kids wanted to go outside and play. My brother had the idea to go sledding. I brought the kids' snow clothes but not ours. So my mom came out with this ugly snow suit that is 30 years old. So I would freeze if I didn't wear it, so I put it on and looked so ridiculous. She even had this helmet with sparkles in it!!! So I had to wear that too! The kids laughed so hard when they saw me! Then we were off to the some hills down the road where Tyler and I used to sled when we were kids.

Ethan going down the hills. After I pushed him down, I thought "I probably should have went with him". He went so fast, I was praying he made it down without getting hurt!!! He did NOT get hurt and surprisingly nobody got hurt! That's a good day!!!

Mekie was so fearless going down the hills. She had no idea what to do but we put her on a sled and pushed her and she went flying down the hill. When she got down the hill she stood up and started laughing.

Ash and Derek making a trip down the hill. Ash took a while to warm up going down the hills. So Derek when down with him for a while.

Tyler (my brother) and I making a trip down the hill together holding hands! Don't you love my mom's snowsuit and helmet. I looked so ridiculous I couldn't take it off!

Garrett flew down the hills on his new sled!

Mekie enjoying her first time sledding!

I could hardly move in my mom's snowsuit. So the kids needed help climbing the hill so when I tried to help them, I kept falling down. Finally Derek came to help me!

Oh, my little Ethan loving sledding!

Mekie and Garrett making snow angels!

After sledding we headed back to mom's to play some Wii. Tyler and I dancing to a dance game that my sister-in-law got for Christmas. It was too funny to see Tyler dancing!

Derek and I trying out our Eygptian moves.

The kids dancing to a robot song! This is the one Wii game Mekie can actually play. That girl knows how to dance! Garrett and Ash actually did good at it too! Ethan was too busy having grandma hold him!

What a great start to Christmas! We loved spending the time with family! Well next set of photos will be of our Christmas. I will try to get faster with posts.

I also need some prayer requests for Ash. He woke up this morning with a high fever and crying because he had a bad toothache. So we are actually going to have it pulled next week. So please pray for him!

First Snow

2010-12-21T19:27:00.004-05:00

These were photos of the kids' first snow fall. They were so excited about the snow. They took off and went rolling down our little hill! Ash lasted about an hour and Mekie about 10 minutes. Hope they get used to it!

My Grandma sent us one of those Hallmark books that records the voices. So it's about the first Christmas with my grandma reading it. They love it. They listen to it all the time and we always have grandma close to us!

Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-12T21:19:00.007-05:00

Two Saturday's ago, Santa comes to Grabill so the kids can eat breakfast with him. So, we got up early and were in Grabill by 8 a.m. because Garrett had a basketball game right after. So at the door, we were greeted by a reindeer. Then they had donuts and cereal.

You can see the donut evidence on Mekie's face. Then shortly after eating Santa arrived. Ash went crazy with laughing. And the rest smiled and waited for Santa to come shake their hand. Mekie shook his hand like it was no big deal.

Ash was too shy to shake santa's hand but he gave him his famous smile.
Below is a picture with each of the kids on Santa's lap. This was the year that each child sat on Santa's lap with out crying. Last year, Ethan wouldn't even get close without crying. This year he crawled right up on Santa's lap and told him he wanted "a tractor", Santa said, "What color?" Ethan said, " uh, green, no, no red!" Ash asked for a reindeer and a monster truck, Garrett a DS and Mekie a doll house. Oh, I forgot to tell you that Ash was so excited to sit on Santa's lap that the line was starting to form and he ran right to the front of the line to sit on his lap. I felt bad because my child cut in line but he was on Santa' s lap before I could tell him to stop.

On one final note, we got a call on December 8th telling us that our adoption is final in the States. We are so excited to have that done. We will now be able to get US passports and Birth Certificates. So, it was such great news to have!!! Yeah.

A Long Week.....

2010-12-09T19:42:00.007-05:00

Well it has been one long week. Derek left Monday morning and won't be back until Friday evening. Well I started off feeling fine and as the day progressed I felt a head cold coming on. And then by 7:30 my head was in the toilet. I got some kind of flu bug and was throwing up all night. So in between throwing up I had to get the 4 kids put to bed without getting any germs on them. Garrett and Ash were such good boys and big help. And then I had such a great friend that took my kids all day on Tuesday for me so I could sleep and disinfect the house. So far the kids are healthy but I still have an unsettled stomach. Ugghhh!!!

So finally on Wednesday I started feeling better and took the kids to a spagehetti dinner at their preschool. It was called Home for the Holidays and they had "The Willy Wonka Shop" for the kids to pick out gifts for others for .25. And then they could wrap them. Then they had crafts and decorating cookies with hot chocolate. The kids really had a great time and were so well behaved. You never know what will happen when you have 4 kids and only 1 mommy.

Then today I finished wrapping presents and only have a few more things to get and I'm done. That's right, DONE!!! I am glad to have that done so I can focus on baking! I love baking! Then we ordered in pizza and watching Strawberry Shortcake.

Only one more night to go! Can't wait to you come home. We miss you and love you!!

Ethan trying to dress himself. Keep trying, Ethan, you'll get it!

Oh, my boys!! They make me so proud. Garrett is using the vacum, Ash the dust buster, and Ethan his toy vacum. They boys will make excellent husbands someday!!

And this was the day after Thanksgiving. I had been up since 2:45 in the morning because I was on of those crazy shoppers out at 3 a.m. But I had promised to get the tree up and decorated. So after we finished decorating the tree, I pulled out santa hats and the kids went crazy! We have had so much fun this holiday season doing all our traditions with Ash and Mekie. They are such a blessing!

Well I hope to get more pictures up of the kid's meeting Santa in the next few days so stay tuned!!!

Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T15:17:00.009-05:00

This was Ash and Mekie's Thanksgiving program at school. This was Mekie's class.

Ash's Class

I love Ms. Mekie's smile and her custom Hair bows that I love making for her!!!

The kids take a field trip to the grocery store before the play and put together vegetable soup and make pumpkin muffins. So after they sing we headed to the gym for soup and muffins (at 9:30 in the morning, yum, yum!!)

This was Thanksgiving morning. My grandparents came out, my dad and his wife and my brother. This is my grandma and I finishing up the cooking. We had all the traditional foods and the kid's had a blast playing with Uncle Tyler and their grandparents! My mom then came later that day and we spent the night in the dark! Our power went out around 7:30 and didn't come back on until the middle of the night. Then my mom and I woke up at and headed out of the house at 3am for Black Friday shopping. My favorite!!! We had a great time and filled the car with our bargins!

Halloween Night

2010-11-17T09:21:00.010-05:00

I'm a little behind on posting. We were so busy with our fundraiser and I've been having lots of jewelry shows that I haven't been able to keep up. But had a few minutes today and I even got a shower! Which you know, getting a shower is a big deal when you have 4 kiddos running around! So this was halloween night. We had to take our traditional picture in front of our house with the kid's pumpkins.

Ethan was so excited to get candy that he fell asleep!

We went over to a friend's addition and went trick or treating with them. It was so much fun. Ash was sticking close by me when we first got there. He wasn't quite sure who everybody was because they were dressed up. Mekie was half asleep and not sure of herself either. But Garrett took the lead and showed just what to do.

Mekie was excited about the candy.

Ash couldn't believe he got to keep going to more houses to get more candy.

We had such a great time for Ash and Mekie's first Halloween. Ethan was too cute that night. He had his big pumpkin filled up with candy and he was dragging it because it was too heavy. He was acting like it was a chore to walk up to the house and get candy! Got to love the baby!He was so tired by the end. Garrett and Ash, by the end, were far ahead of us. We had to get after them to stay with us. Mekie was kind of like Ethan at the end. She wanted to be carried! Then we went back to our friend's house for coffee and snacks. And then headed to our church's trunk or treat for an hour. The kids finally crashed in the car on the way home!

This picture is of Mekie sleeping in Ethan's bed. I found them snuggling in bed together. It was so cute, I couldn't resist taking a pic. So Ethan has been coming down lately telling me "I sleep in Mekie bed" or "Mekie sleep in Ethan's bed".

Get a Pizza, Feed an orphan!!!

2010-10-31T14:48:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to remind everyone to order a pizza for this Friday and Saturday. Their is a post about it a few post down or click the button off to the side called "147 million, feed 1" to find more information. Also, start ordering now so we kind of have an idea of how many we will need before hand. Friends and Family back home, you know who you are, if you want a pizza let me know. I will be coming home on Friday night and could get them to you! So start calling or commenting on the posts to order!!!

Walz's Halloween Party

2010-10-31T14:19:00.016-04:00

The sky outside our house on Friday night. It was gorgeous!

I decided to have a little Halloween party for our kids on Friday night. I decorated up the kitchen.

Put together each kid a place setting. They had a coloring sheet, their pumpkin they picked out, and paint.

They each got their own masks. Oh, my little monsters!!!

I made a brownie Frankenstein cake. Not my best work but the kids approved!

Daddy and I wanted to me scarey monsters too!

Ash's first time carving a pumpkin! He laughed so hard. I wish you all could hear his laugh, it melts my heart!

Mekie's first time she smiled and laughed but didn't get too excited. She went back to painting her pumpkin. Derek finished carving it yesterday. It turned out so cute. I should've took a pic but didn't get to it!

The kids had so much fun painting their pumpkins.

Then we played a few games. Pin the nose on the pumpkin and a pumpkin search in the basement! Ash and Mekie had some many firsts in one day. It is so much fun showing them all these new experiences. Garrett and Ethan have fun teaching them about it and then watching them when they do it.

147 Million Orphans, Feed 1

2010-10-21T21:14:00.003-04:00

Derek and I are joining with 4-5 other families in our area for Orphan Sunday. We have an exciting opportunity to feed the orphans! Read on to find out how you can help.

November 7th is Orphan Sunday. In honor of orphans everywhere we are sharing a deep dish pizza with any of you in the Fort Wayne area. In return, we'd love for you to make a donation to help feed orphans.

You place your order.
We deliver it to you along with a free copy of Answer the Cry video.
You give us a donation made payable to Show Hope.
You have a fun family night at home enjoying pizza and a movie that will get your family talking.
Your donation goes on to make a huge difference in the life of an orphan.

Click this flyer for more details.

Pizza date and time choices: November 5th 4:30-8:30 and November 6th 4:30-8:30. We ask that you choose a 30 minute window on one of these dates for us to delivery your pizza. We will do our best to get it to you hot and yummy and on time. We need to receive your order by noon on the date of delivery please.

One way to order is to post your order here http://brownstreeintheforest.blogspot.com/2010/10/147-million-orphans-feed-1.html as a comment. We need to know how many pizzas you want (pepperoni or cheese, one deep dish pizza feeds 5 adults), delivery address, date and time.

There is also a dessert/discussion night on Sunday, Nov. 7th, that you are welcome to attend. The flyer has more info about that.

Can't be a part of these events this time, but still want to get in on this opportunity to give? Post a comment to get in contact with me!

We are so excited about this and I hope you are too!

Wendy

Derek's Birthday

2010-10-12T19:17:00.012-04:00

So yesterday was Derek's Birthday (31!!!) In the morning, I put together a candy bouquet for him with a big Happy Birthday balloon. And when I picked the kids up from school we went down to Derek's work to surprise him. I called Sandy, she works across from him, and she let me in so he had no idea we were coming. So my plan was for all of us to surprise him together but Garrett took off and stood in front of Derek's office saying "Mom, he's right here!" But he was still surprised to see us and excited about his candy! So we visted for a while but then hurried home to finish getting things ready for when he got home. We had to wrap his presents, bake and decorate a cake, and try to clean up the house from the weekend. This is how the cake turned out! So I took 3 candles and then added the 1st birthday candle to make 31 but I was doing it upside down and it's backwards. Ooops!

The kids were so excited for Derek to come last night. Ash and Garrett decorated the kitchen with streamers. They picked the different colors and where they wanted them. I just helped them reach! So our kitchen was very colorful! I also told the kids that we were going to hide and when daddy got home we were going to jump out and yell happy birthday! So I sent Ash outside ( I know he would have the most patience to wait). So Ash was out there for about 10 minutes and I went out to check on him and he was sitting in the same spot, he hadn't moved at all! What a good little boy! So we finished waiting together and when we saw him we ran in to hide. The kids were so excited, they were trying really hard to contain themselves. So when Derek came in, the kids jumped out and said "Happy Birthday Daddy!" I made Derek is favorite meal, meatloaf, potatoes, baked beans, and grean beans. Then we played outside, since it was such a gorgeous day. Then came in for cake and ice cream. We lit the cake and sang "Happy Birthday". Ash and Mekie were so excited. This is another first for them, a birthday party!

Derek (and Ash) blowing out the candles!

After cake we had Derek open his presents. This was how excited Ash was! He knew what Derek was getting and wanted to tell him so bad but was so excited about the Derek opening the presents.

Garrett and Ash made Derek cards.

Derek got a new shirt, belt, wallet, and a digital picture frame for his office!

Garrett and Ethan loved the ice cream cones. Even Ash and Mekie are starting to like ice cream more. Ash ate half the cone before he couldn't eat it anymore. Mekie ate all of it! I can't believe their are kids that don't like ice cream!

Well Happy Birthday Honey! I love you so much and I hope you know how much we appreciate you!

Orphan Sunday November 7th!!!

2010-10-07T15:49:00.002-04:00

Well I just found out that November 7th is Orphan Sunday. A friend that adopted twins from Ethiopia a few months before us posted about this upcoming day. And I went to the website: www.orphansunday.org and checked it out. And as you all know, we adopted two beautiful orphans so we are truly passionate about orphans. So I am asking you to go to the website and check out what you can do for the orphans on this day. It can be as simple as a your family or a small group praying for the orphans. I am attaching this video to watch. I watched it last night and cried and cried. I saw those orphans on the streets, I saw the need. Just check out the website and do something, no matter how small.

True Religion from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Some more pictures

2010-10-06T15:56:00.009-04:00

This is how Ethan's photo shoot went. I had to post them because when I was looking through them they made me laugh. He wouldn't cooperate at all but now I love the pictures. So I wanted you to see them.

Garrett's picture.

The kids' feet!

Mekie

2010-10-06T15:40:00.004-04:00

Mekie with her baby doll. She is starting to play more now with baby dolls. She carries them on her back like they do in ET, gives them bottles, changes their clothes....etc. This day I did her hair in braids and then used a butterfly clip to hold them. You can't tell from the picture but I need to improve on my braiding. But she loved it!
This is what happened yesterday! Garrett tells me "Mom, is it okay if I dress up Mekie". My answer, "Sure, I don't care" and this was the result. She had in a headband 2 flowers, butterfly clips and pony tails. She did have a dress on and I took it off before I took the picture. I now wish I would've left it on because it completed the look! And then she had lip gloss all over her lips and chin. They were up there for quite a while and I was starting to get concerned about how she was going to look and how messed up her room would be. Then I heard Garrett yell "MOM" So I went to the steps and here comes Mekie "Mommy, look, me pretty!!!" Yes, she was pretty all right! She was so happy and full of joy! So these are a few pics of her (some with her silly faces when she gets a little wound up)!

More Pictures...more to come!

2010-09-30T19:45:00.002-04:00

New Picture

2010-09-27T14:52:00.003-04:00

Sorry to all my bloggy friends that I haven't posted in a while. Things seemed to settle down for a while and just when I was thinking things were getting under control, God throws a curve ball. It has been a rough couple of weeks and especially today! One trip to the doctor office, one trip to the hospital and two trips to the pharmacy. And then 2 more trips this week to dr. appts. So it has been and will be a busy week and it's only Monday!!! Yikes!

Well yesterday, I attempted some photos of the kids. Boy, it's hard to get 4 kids to look at you and it's even harder to get them to smile at the same time. I only edited one photo so far. I will try and get more up later. But this was one of the better shots with all the kids at least looking at the camera. The boys had their Ethiopian hats on that we got them on our trip and then Mekie had a traditional Ethiopian dress on.

So what else is going on you ask, other than dr. appts.? Well 2 weekends ago we went to the Johnny Appleseed Festival. The kids rode the old traditional rides and they had so much fun. Got yummy food and enjoyed the fall air. Sorry no photos! We have also been working out in our wooded area in our backyard, cleaning up some of the brush and cutting down some rotten trees. Then Derek has also started to build a clubhouse for the kids. It is 7 feet high and goes around a tree. He has the floor part built but thinking we will wait till spring to finish it. The kids love climbing up there. And the newest thing the kids love doing is collecting acorns. They have 3 huge buckets full! (By the way, how do you get rid of the acorns without them noticing???) We have also started meeting some other friends that have adopted from Ethiopia. I met a friend last week that has a boy Ash's age and will go to school with him and then she has a girl that is the same age as Mekie and will be going to school with her! Isn't that exciting!!!

Well I need to get some rest. I was up last night because Ash was up wheezing, coughing, and his teeth hurt so bad. My poor little man. So the kids are all resting except Garrett, he thinks he too old to nap!! So keep us in your prayers as we try and get all these kids healthy and their teeth fixed.

Kalahari

2010-09-13T14:47:00.027-04:00

Kids see Kalahari!

"You mean I have to wear this!"

Garrett put on his life jacket and he was gone! Face in the water, down the water slides, going across lilly pads hanging on to a rope, playing basketball in the water. He was everywhere and had fun doing it.

The kids ready to get wet. Garrett is off to the side all ready wet!

There was a really awesome little kid area that the kid's really enjoyed. Ash wasn't so sure of all the spraying and neither was Ethan. So those two really enjoyed the kid zone.

Mekie and Garrett love the water. They took off down the slides while Ethan and Ash took a while to warm up.

Mekie's splash at the end of the slide.

Ash and his crazy faces!!

Ash finally attempted a slide. When Ash tries anything for the first time he always has a funny face with it. And I couldn't get a good photo of it. But he had a silly face when going down.

These were really small slides to the ones that Garrett and Mekie were doing early. But Garrett still had fun!

Mr. Ethan wasn't a big fan of the slides but did some. But he enjoyed Grandma pushing him!

I didn't have any pictures of Garrett and Mekie going down the big tube slides. But Derek had all the kids at this particular time and he couldn't find Mekie. And Derek was standing at the end of one of the big slides and out shoots Mekie. Garrett was off going down the slides all by himself and Mekie decided to follow him. She has no fear!!! She kept saying "more water" until the end when she was shivering so bad.

Ethan watching the others playing basketball.
Grandpa with Ethan and Ash. They didn't want to get in the "big water" as Ash called it.
Derek playing basketball.

Mekie and Grandma bonding.

Garrett shooting the ball while daddy and Papa were playing a short game.
We were actually at Kalahari because I had a meeting there with Premier Jewelry. So we invited Derek's parent's to come with us so we could spend the night and have them help us with the kids. So, Derek and his parents watched the kids while I had my meeting. They took them to the arcade and played some games. And they had this huge climbing play area called "Tree Top". The pictures turned out too dark to post. But they had so much fun, Garrett even won an elephant from playing in the arcade. After they ate some lunch they headed down to the pool and after my meeting I joined back up with them.

They got all 4 kids in the swings.

Right before we left, we got some pictures of them.

The kids had such fun. And they were so tired also. I can't believe all the new things Ash and Mekie have experienced since being home and they have done so great. Thanks Rob and Lynn for going with us. I know the kids truly had a good time and really enjoyed spending quality time with you.

And it was so nice to get some time with Derek. We were able to go down some slides by ourselves. And let me tell you, I all ready have a hard time every year I get older but I really have a hard time when I come home from a waterpark and my back is sore and I feel like I have bruised ribs. UGHH!!! Derek and I went down a body slide and raced and guess who won, that's right, ME!!! Sorry honey! And then we went down these slides that looked like a toilet bowel. One you used a big round tube and the other was a body slide. The tube one we both went together. We almost got stuck before we fell out the bottom. And then we went down the body toilet bowel. This was was so much fun but kind of intimidating. This shoots you out of the dark slide so fast into this big bowel. You are flying around in a circle and it has a big hole in the middle that eventually you will fall out into 6 feet of water. So while waiting for the ride we were watching others and the ride stops. People asked what was going on and why it stopped. The lifeguard answered "I think someone drowned or something". Great! And this was the ride I was about to go on! Then it started back up and we were watching others go and most of them fell out of the bowel into the water head first. There was no way I was going head first. So when I was swirling around this bowel terrified I was trying to make sure I would go feet first. Well, I tried but ended up going sideways. And Derek had a back smacker. That was the best ride. Can't wait for my meeting next year!

Fulton County Fair

2010-09-12T21:41:00.015-04:00

Checking out the horses while heading to the rides.
They each got enough tickets for 3 rides. Ash and Ethan chose to ride on the choo-choo train.

Garrett and Mekie went through the fun house. I told Garrett to stay with his sister and off they went. Then Garrett came out with no Mekie. I said "Where's Mekie". His answer "I don't know". I said "Go find her". Then in a couple minutes he came back out with no Mekie and again I asked "Where's Mekie" and again he said "I don't know" He ran back and in a couple seconds came out with Mekie. Good Job Garrett keeping an eye out for your sister!!!

Garrett wanted to ride a big ride. So, he's just a couple inches too short to ride the "really big" ones so the scrambler was as close as we got to a "big ride". But he still had to ride with an adult. So Derek went with him. I tried to capture his face on the picture but the bar holding him in was in front of his face. So during the whole ride I had no idea if he was having fun or not! But the photo above of him coming of the ride tells you how he liked the ride!!!

All the kids rode on the airplane ride. And they all liked the ride!

Mekie is smiling by the way. Her smiles, her nose wrinkles up and she looks angry but she really is smiling. I really hope we can get some good pictures of her with out the "angry smile" someday!

Ash, Mekie and Ethan rode on the cars. This actually was the first ride Ash and Mekie went on. When we told them we were going to go on some rides Ash picked out the one that swings you off to the side high into the air and then swings you back down. He was instistent on going. So Derek and I told him he needed to go on something a little smaller for his first ride to make sure he actually liked rides. So this was their first ride! Ash was so excited to drive his very own "mah-kina". So Ethan and Mekie took off but Ash was still sitting there. He was trying to steer the car and move back and forth to try to make the car move. Finally it took off and his whole face smiled! All the kids had so much fun with the rides. And it was so fun seeing Ash and Mekie's first time riding the fair rides!

And of course, it's not the fair without the kids sitting on the tractors. Ethan is my little tractor boy. He loves tractors. We will be in the car going somewhere and if he sees a tractor , he will yell out "boom-boom tractor". The kids and I actually went to the fair Friday night of Labor day weekend (Derek was traveling) and the tractor pull was going on. We didn't even see the tractors pulling but he could hear them!! And every time a tractor started to pull, Ethan would have this strut that he would walk and this serious face yelling out "boom-boom tractor". He cracked me up. It was so funny!

All four of them up on the "pumbcine" as Ethan says!

We had such a great time at the fair this year. Derek and I had no idea of what to expect with 4 kids and all the stimulation and people. But they had fun and so did we. Another first for Ash and Mekie!!

Splash Pad

2010-09-12T21:30:00.004-04:00

Ash wasn't so sure of the water at first but once he warmed up he had fun!
Natalie and Mekie running through the green circle. They played so good together.

Garrett hiding under the mushroom of water!

Mekie loves the water! She ran right up to the water and stuck her head in!

And if you are wondering where Ethan is, well, he was off by himself playing at the park area behind us. He's not to big on things spraying him. Hopefully he will come around!

We did this almost 2 weeks ago. I am a little behind of getting things posted. We had a really bad week last week. So, I will continue to put new photos up.

First Zoo Trip

2010-08-30T15:29:00.010-04:00

Entering the African Journey!
Hanging out in the Eggs!

Garrett and Ethan in the tents in Africa

Mekie and her daddy!!

Garrett and Ash riding the train! Ash loved it.

Picture with the gorilla, but wait, where's the gorilla??

All 4 kids playing the drums.

Driving the safari Jeep. Mekie didn't make it in the picture she got elbowed trying to get in:(

Looking out at the animals !

Our first zoo trip was a success. When we got to the car Derek and I gave each other a high five and I said "We can do this"! We made it successfully through the zoo with not losing any children, no major break downs, and I didn't even lose my temper once with any child. All the kids had fun but they were tired. Ethan fell asleep in the car and when we got home everyone took naps, even Derek and I. We also became zoo members, since we had to pay for 6 of us it almost paid for a zoo pass for a year.

New Pictures of the kids

2010-08-30T10:36:00.003-04:00

Ash looking oh so intelligent!

We were all lined up watching a movie.

Garrett is Darth Vader, Ash is Ninja Turtle and Ethan as himself picking his nose!

Ash and Mekie making silly faces.

Mekie's Hair

2010-08-30T10:29:00.003-04:00

It's finally long enough to do something with. So last week I bought hair ties (our first in the Walz household)and did her hair. She was so excited. She went around saying pretty girl (not because we told her she was pretty or anything:))So wanted to show you a picture of our only girl with my first attempt at hair.

3 Weeks Home

2010-08-29T21:42:00.003-04:00

Well, we have been home 3 weeks all ready. I can't believe it. The kids have come so far all ready in this short amount of time. The first night home, they seemed so unsure of themselves and scared. They are now running around laughing and playing tricks, fighting over toys, and crying because they didn't get their way. All normal 4 year old stuff! We do have some issues with still getting them used to our routine and the difference in cultures and of course LANGUAGE!! That is so a struggle sometimes. But Ash can understand so much and can translate for me if Mekie is just not getting it. One thing that was kind of a shock to me is all the doctor appts. I don't know if I just thought one appt and that would be it. But we have been to the hospital 4-5 different times, the dr office 3-4 times, and (a surprise) the TB clinic 2 times. (Ash was exposed to TB and has to be treated but not contagious. He was tested in ET before coming home and it didn't show up at all). So we haven't even started our dentist appts. and have 2 more dr. appts for the month of Sept. And for the most part, they are healthy. I would hate to see how many appts. I would have to go to if they weren't healthy.

We have also enrolled them in preschool this year. Mekie will be going 2 days a week and Ash 3 days. I will send them a few weeks late to let the other children get settled. They are so excited about school. Derek and I were so impressed with the things the teacher taught them at the orphanage. They just told me the other day all the days of the week and the months of the year. They impress me each day with the amount of things they know.

Garrett and Ethan have seemed to be adjusting well. Ethan has had issues and is still having issues with sharing. He was struggling with that before we left but now that he has 3 other siblings he has a lot more tantrums because there's more kids taking his toys. Garrett did really good at the beginning but I think the newness is wearing off. He is also having a hard time with sharing and the toys that were just his is not his anymore. But for the most part they all get a long pretty good. Right now, it seems there is at least one kid really happy, 2 that are okay and one kid crying at all times in our house. Hopefully that will get better with time.

Derek and I have also struggled with getting back to "Normal" after seeing what we saw in Ethiopia. The images that we saw will forever be sketched in our minds.

Towards the end of the week there I was getting so home sick. I missed all those little luxuries that we have here. Clean water, clean sidewalks, food you didn't have to worry if it was safe to eat or not, TV, and internet. All those things that we take for granted, I missed. But I got to come home and get all those things back. There were so many beggers on the streets that didn't have water, food, and some with no clothes on their backs. It was so hard to walk into our house and live like we do and know there are men, women, and children with out a house, without clean water, and without food to eat. How many times do we or our children say "We're hungry or I'm starving"? We have no idea what starving is or what true hunger is. In America or biggest dilema is "What should we eat tonight or where should we eat". So many parents in Ethiopia have to choose what child should eat that day. Holding and trying to comfort their child screaming because they have hunger pain. Finally crying themselves to sleep knowing that they will wake with even more more pain. How would you choose??

We saw men and women on the street and you didn't know if they were alive or dead. Babies on their mother's hip with ripped and dirty clothes and the mother's begging for food knowing she didn't have any breast milk for that baby because she wasn't getting enough food (and I could tell because her breast was out!) We would fill out backpacks with granola bars and pass those out with money. Derek and Jason (the other family we traveled with) went out a couple times with bags full of bananas (one time they said they passed out probably 500 bananas). They said the crowds got so bad and they would start reaching into their bags to get the bananas. And fights would break out as the bags were getting empty. They passed out bananas in one side of the road and they were trying to see if everyone in that one area would be able to get food. But there were always more beggars coming up. Some just asked for a loaf of bread as Derek bought them it. A man also asked Derek for a pair of shoes, Derek gave him money for shoes. They asked for things that we don't think twice about buying. Simple things as food and clothes. In one of my pictures you can see the men and women going through these big dumpsters for trash and I'm assuming their looking for food. EVERYDAY 30,000 CHILDREN DIE FROM STARVATION OR A PREVENTABLE DISEASES!

I want to do so much more for Ethiopia. It is a great country with so many nice people. The people of Ethiopia were so positive even though they were suffering and having hardships. We miss them so much. Derek and I have also sponsored a child from Ethiopia. His name is Amanueal. He is 7 and lives with his mother. We send money to him so he is able to eat everyday and get an education plus the greatest gift is learning about Jesus! We sponsor him through Compassion. But there is still so much more that needs to be done. We love Ethiopia as it is the country our children our from.

Lord, I pray that through you, even though we're small, we will be able to do great, big things in Ethiopia. Please pray about what God would put on your heart to help the orphans and the starving, whether it be bring a child home through adoption, sponsor a child that needs to hear the love of Jesus, or go on a mission trip. Derek and I would love to go back to Ethiopia in a year or so and do a mission trip and we would love you to join us. Lord, YOU ARE A MIGHTY GOD and I can't wait to see what you have planned for our lives!!

Sights of Addis Abba

2010-08-20T15:34:00.011-04:00

2010-08-19T08:55:00.007-04:00

Garrett's first day of school was today! I told him that I would wake him up this morning at 7 am and I heard him come down at 6:48. He was dressed and ready to go. He was so excited! But he was also nervous because he was scared he would forget his teacher's name and his room number.

So when the time came we went outside to wait for the bus and he kept asking his teacher's name and room number. Ash and Ethan was outside too to watch their big brother get on the bus. So Garrett and I walked down the drive and the bus came shortly after. Garrett knew just what to do. He got to the middle of the road and didn't know which way to get on but figured it out and off he went. My baby is off to school. I was holding back the tears but Ethan didn't. He was screaming for Garrett and saying "me ride bus"!!!

I just can't believe my baby is off to school. Garrett and I had 3 1/2 years together without any other kids in the house. So it was hard to watch him go. But the good news is that he was excited to go and I will pick him up at 11 am.

And we are home, 1st day done! And it was good from the 3 words that he said "it was good"!

Wendy

Meeting our Children

2010-08-18T13:59:00.007-04:00

So these are the pictures everyone has been waiting for! The day we meant our children for the first time. We were waiting in our courtyard of our guesthouse, they bring the kids to us. And this is moments before we get our kids.

I couldn't believe how the kids came to us. Ash came running up to me and hugged me. Mekie was a bit shy but walked right up to Derek. And then we switched and Ash went to Derek and Mekie with me. The were so excited but you could tell they weren't sure of what to do. But after we got them we took them up to our room to show them their bookbags that we filled with toys. They seemed a little scared but they were laughing at their toys and playing. It was so much fun getting to know them that day. But it was so nerve wracking because you didn't want to do anything to upset them or scare them. The second day was the hardest of that entire week in ET. The kids' personalities were not what I expected, they were the opposite. Ash was more quiet and shy but aggressive. And Mekie was so sweet and cuddly and funny. Nothing like I expected. I had so much fear that second day. I didn't know how Ash was going to fit into our family and I was so scared to bring him home! The Mancini's that we traveled with were so great. We shared a lot of our feeling with them and their feelings with us and it really helped us get through those trying times. And they had adopted before and they explained that what we were feeling was normal and it will get better.

Well as of today, it is getting better. Everyday Ash fits more and more into our family and so does Mekie. I truely can't believe how wonderful the kids are doing. They are defiently troopers and they have brought so much joy to this family (and craziness!!!).

Thank you Lord for bringing Mekie and Ash into this family!!! You are an amazing God with greater plans than I could ever dream of. And Lord, you sure do know how to grow a persons faith!!!

2010-08-17T13:31:00.005-04:00

So this is the airplane that we spent 15 hours on there and 15 hours coming back. We went from Fort Wayne to Chicago to Washington DC and then to Ethiopia with a stop in Rome to refuel (you don't get off the plane, you sit there for another hour!!). When we arrived in Ethiopia we were so tired. Derek and I hardly slept at all on the plane. There was a driver waiting for us at the airport and they took us straight to the guest house.

We traveled with another family, The Mancini's. They are such a wonderful Christian family with great faith! This is a picture of us outside the Guesthouse with them and their 2 oldest children. (They have 6 kids now, they just adopted two girls)

This is a picture of our room at the GRAND GUESTHOUSE. It was not that bad. It was better than I expected. The beds were a little hard with springs poking you and the bathroom had some mold and smelled bad and some toiletries others left behind. But other than that, not so bad. They had a main sitting area with TV and Dvd player downstairs in the main lobby area with a table where we ate breakfast and any other meals we ate in. Breakfast came with the room so they had eggs and toast every morning and the eggs were fried in oil :( So after a few mornings of that I asked for french toast and that was delicious! I brought my own little bottle of syrup from someone's recommendation that traveled prior! But the staff at the guest house were so nice and accomodating! They were also great with our children and helped translate!

So the next post will have pictures of us meeting our children for the first time.

Heading to the Airport

2010-08-15T15:12:00.003-04:00

This was our car packed with our luggage. We had 4 checked bags and each a carry-on and personal item. 2 of the checked bags were donations for our care center, clothes, shoes, and lots of hand sanitizer! Then we had Ash's and Mekie's car seats in our car. We left our house around 6:45 and on the way driving to the airport we were listening to the radio and the song came on

"Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other...and if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us, and if our God with us, then what could stand against"

And Derek and I have clung to that song the entire week before we left. Thorough this journey Derek and I have felt so up and down. There were good days but many bad days that left us feeling defeated and as we were getting ready the week before, we had so many doubts and fears. But that song gave us strength. So as we were driving the song was on and I looked out my window and saw a rainbow, not one but two! It was not raining out that morning. The sun was coming up on one side and some clouds on the other side. God gave us rainbows as a promise to us back in Genesis. I know that God put those two rainbows in the sky to help calm all those fears away. (one big fear was why 2 children and I was still questioning that up to the day) So it brought tears to my eyes because I felt God's presence saying go and bring your, not one, but two children home that I planned for your family!!!

The second rainbow didn't show up on my picture but it was there, I promise!!

I will try and post new pics every couple days with more details of our trip. It is difficult managing 4 children, with getting ready for school, and lots of doctor and dentist appts. So will try my best so all of you can know how our trip went!

Continued!

2010-08-12T15:22:00.003-04:00

This is a video taken right after we got the kids. We took them up to our room to show them their bookbags and they were checking everything out.

Happy to be Home!

2010-08-08T17:36:00.004-04:00

Well, we have just come home from a very exciting and emotional week in Ethiopia. What a ride it was, and I have a feeling it's just getting started!

We tried to take video and were were going to upload it while in Ethiopia but the internet connection was so slow that it took forever to upload my email pages and I never could get connected to my blog. So we uploaded some video before we got our kids. The first is us at the airport waiting to board the 15 hour flight to Ethiopia. We were so excited to get there and meet our children.

This next video of us is in the van driving from the airport to the guest house. We got in the van and our driver cranked up some Ethiopian music. Loved it. We were in airports and airplanes for 28 hours. WE were so exhausted at this point but excited to finally be in Ethiopia. We started off seeing very nice, luxurious houses right when we left the airport but after a mile of that we turned and the streets were lined with homeless men and women and children. It is rainy season in Ethiopia and they were all covered with tarps and plastic. All the emotions at this time were so hard to deal with because of exhaustion but excitement to get our kids but heartache for all those people.

This next video is of us waiting in the courtyard for our children. All the emotion we were fealing at this point was so crazy. We were so excited to meet our children but there was fear of the unknown. We had a good night rest Sunday night when we arrived and woke up on Monday well rested and ready to meet our children. We took showers (in water that is not good water, advised not to drink it because we would get sick from it). Then went down to get breakfast (breakfast included with our stay at the guest house. Scrambled eggs fried in oil and toast.

We traveled with another great Christian family, The Mancini's. It was truely a blessing to have them with us. We did everything with them so when you see video of other people than us it's probably the Mancini's that you see. They brought their 2 older children, Allison and Caleb. And they also had 2 children back home with one adopted from China.

The emotion of waiting for our children to arrive was so hard. At least I, Wendy, was nervous and shaking. So here is some video of us waiting with views of the courtyard.

Derek and Wendy have the kids

2010-08-02T11:53:00.002-04:00

This is Kari, Derek and Wendy's sister-in-law and I will be trying to keep you updated with the latest news.
They arrived in Addis Ababa safely on Sunday as planned.
They received the children this morning(Monday). They said the kids were happy to see them but they are pretty shy. Ash is a little more standoffish but Mekie is very cuddly and loving. That was a surprise because they thought it would be the other way around.
Both of the kids speak Amharic fluently but they do know a few English words which is a good start. They both recited their ABC's for Derek and Wendy. Mekie is already calling them Mommy and Daddy (though sometimes calls Derek mommy).
They are very grateful for all the prayers and support from all their family and friends and ask that you continue to keep them in your prayers.

Bedrooms

2010-07-27T16:03:00.011-04:00

I wanted to show you the kid's bedrooms. They are finally all done and ready for Ash and Mekie to be home!!! So here they are:

Mekie's Room

Ash and Garrett's Room

Ethan's Room

Ash and Mekie are coming home!!!

2010-07-23T22:22:00.002-04:00

Dear Family & Friends,

Thank you so much for your love, prayers, and support over the last 7 months as we have been on this journey to bring home Ashenafy (Ash) and Mekdes (Mekie). We truly appreciate all the support you have provided to us, as it has been an emotional roller coaster so far!

Flight Information:

We will be leaving for Ethiopia on Saturday July, 31st @ 9:00 AM from Fort Wayne Airport and will arrive in Addis Ababa on Sunday @ 7:00 PM (Ethiopian time) which is 11:00 AM Eastern time. We will be leaving Ethiopia of Friday August 6th at 10:15 PM and arriving back into Fort Wayne @ 7:09 PM on Saturday August 7th. For those of you who wish to meet us at the airport and welcome Ash and Mekie home, you should plan to be to the airport a little before 7:00. If anything changes we will do our best to keep people updated with flight information.

Before Ash & Mekie get back we wanted to share a few thoughts with everyone about our plans for the transition to life as a family of six. Our adoption agency, social worker, and other adoptive parents have given us a lot of helpful input as we prepare to bring Ash & Mekie home, and a primary goal in the first few months they are with us is to give them as much security and stability as possible since they’ll be experiencing so much transition. When Ash and Mekie come home they will have already lost many things in their lives, including: their birth parents, friends and caregivers at the orphanage, language, familiar food, culture, and their country of birth. Our goal is to help them (as well as Garrett & Ethan) however we can with all of the adjustments, especially helping them understand that we are Mom and Dad and they can trust us to take care of them. In order to help them feel safe, we are striving to create the type of environment that will help promote security and stability during this stressful and potentially very confusing time.

We’re very excited to introduce all of you to Ash and Mekie in the near future. As excited as we are for everyone to meet the kids, please understand that after we return from Ethiopia we plan to live a very quiet, “homebody” life with very limited trips out and few visitors in for a little while. For the next few months, one of us will need to be with Ash and Mekie at all times. We also plan to avoid group gatherings and functions as we get to know them and their personalities. Then, we’ll slowly begin to add to our activities.

This doesn’t mean we don’t want you to meet them soon after we arrive: we just need to establish limits to try to foster a loving and stable environment for the kids. After we have arrived back home, we respectfully ask that you not come by to see us or call us until at least Saturday August 14th. Both kids will need vaccinations and could possibly be pretty sick with parasites or other infections. After both kids have had their initial doctor visits (and at least a week at home with us) we should have a sense of how well they’re doing and would love to set up times for people to come over to meet the kids as long as we think they’re ready for it. We will try to send as many pictures and updates through email as we can upon our return.

Thanks a lot for your understanding, and for all of your love and support throughout our adoption journey. We’re very thankful for all of you!

Love,

Derek & Wendy

It's Official - We're heading to Addis Abba!!!

2010-07-09T12:54:00.004-04:00

I just got confirmation that we are good to go for the August 4th embassy date. But there could be a last minute hiccup with the embassy but we are praying for no more delays to meeting our children. We haven't booked any flights yet but are looking at leaving around July 30th and getting back around August 7th. We are so excited to be so close to getting Mekie and Ash home. But as it is only 3 weeks away we are so overwhelmed right now with everything that needs to get done before we leave. My heart is racing and I'm shaking with anticipation, excitment and nerves!

Our Daughter, Mekie!

2010-06-28T11:35:00.006-04:00

I am so happy to announce that we are finally the parents of our little girl, Mekie! I can't believe we will be leaving soon to pick up our beautiful children, Ash and Mekie! They think we would be traveling for an August 4th Embassy date which means that we would leave the Friday or so before. We are so excited to know that we are getting so close to bringing our children home! Enjoy the pictures of Mekie and I will update everyone when we know more. As for now, there is more waiting until we have confirmation on our travel dates. Thank you to everyone for all your prayers this morning. I have been having a really hard time the last couple days as we approached today. And this morning I just prayed to have some peace and God gave me just that.

2010-06-09T12:16:00.002-04:00

A family of 5

2010-06-09T12:08:00.003-04:00

Well we are officially a family of 5. I know you're thinking we are suppose to be a family of 6 so what happened. Well today was our court date for the 2nd time and we passed for Ash but not for Mekie. Mowa is wanting more information on her. So we have a 3rd court date for June 28th. So I am so happy to have Ash but am so sad that Mekie is not yet ours. So this will push back our travel dates again. We could possibly travel July 21st but most likely it will be August 4th. So I can post pictures of Ash. So enjoy the pics!

New Court Date

2010-06-06T21:32:00.002-04:00

We have another court date coming up this Wednesday. We are praying that we will sail through this date and will become Mekie's and Ash's mom and dad! So keep us in your prayers Wednesday. I will post and let you know what happens.

Donations

2010-06-02T17:17:00.003-04:00

Derek and I are so excited for our adoption shower coming up. It means so much to us to see our friends and family coming together showing love and supporting us. So thank you Jami and Kari for putting this together for us!

Well when we travel we are planning on taking donations to our care center to the kids waiting for families. Some have been asking what kind of things? So I asked my email group from people who have recently traveled and I am going to post their suggestions.

"the center needs anti-bacterial soap, from the translation, sounded like soap and sanitizer gel. He said he is working to get more water purifiers also.

He (and Nurse Beza also)mentioned the furniture in the TV room truly needs replaced & he was going to see what the cost would be. $$'s seem to go so much farther there than here!! He is going to try & get an amount of what it would cost. Haile mentioned with opening the new center in Harare, there will be more needs.

Beza said they need bumbo chairs and a children's rocking chair."

"I thought they could use twin sheets too and pillow cases."

Also, our adoption agency is opening a new care Center in Harar, Ethiopia. So any cash donations would be great as the staff would be able to purchase items they need. The money goes much farther over there than here. They will also be needing larger pieces of furniture not only in the new care center but in the existing centers as they are quite worn. So if you want to donate any items or money, we will be happy to take it when we travel which would be around July to August. Thank you so much!

Didn't Pass Court

2010-05-31T21:17:00.002-04:00

Well, I have postponed posting because we didn't pass court. I was hoping that the next time I wrote I would have good news. But unfortuntley I do not. Our MOWA letter was not in the kid's files so they gave another court date in three weeks, which was really hard since so many families 2nd court dates are usually in a couple days not weeks. However, there was a lot going on in Addis last week. They had elections last Sunday and there were riots, protests, and celebrating that caused some delays. But before the week ended, I had to email our adoption manager and ask if he heard any news about our MOWA letter before everything shut down for the weekend and I got some good news. Our MOWA letters arrived so this Wednesday the lawyer will petition to the judge to see if we can get our court date moved up. (They only can petition to the judge on Wednesdays) Also, Mekie's mom was in court, so there is no way she could come back now and change her mind. So even though we didn't pass, we made baby steps closer to getting our kids.

I just want to thank all of you for all your prayers and thoughts this past week. But please continue to pray for our little ones. Pray that they will be ready to accept us, pray for their health, and pray for this coming Wed.! We got to see video of our kids this morning and they are so precious. It brought me to tears watching them. It was so hard being in America while they were all they way over in Ethiopia. I wanted them home so bad!!

Court Date!!!!

2010-05-11T13:48:00.003-04:00

I am so excited to say that we have a court date, May 25th!!! We could have 4 children officially on that date! So, how this works is that if we pass court on that day Ash and Mekdes will officially be ours. But most times, families don't pass court the first time or even second time. Paperwork is not correct or missing. Not on our part but of the courts over there. Put once we pass court then we should be given an embassy date can could be traveling as soon as 5-7 weeks after we pass court. So please be praying for us as we are waiting to pass court and that hopefully we will pass court the first time and that God will be working in our children to prepare them for our family!

Good News

2010-04-29T20:53:00.002-04:00

I just got an email yesterday saying that all paperwork was submitted to the courts. So we beat the deadline and as of right now we won't be traveling twice, just once to bring our kids home! Also, we should have a court date in the next couple of weeks and the date will probably be, I'm guessing, late May to early June! I just received the cutest pictures of the kids from a family that just traveled! Derek, I, and the boys are so excited about Ash and Mekdes! We can't wait to bring them home!

Referral

2010-04-26T07:31:00.002-04:00

We received our referral of two little girls on last Thursday. We were on our way back from Indy and received a call from our adoption coordinator and she said "have you been checking your email? I sent you pictures of two little girls. Let me know what you think". So it was an exciting drive home then. When we got home we looked at the girls and they were so precious. There were a few issues though. They were unrelated, the one girl didn't have her medical papers ready or any information on her, just her pictures. So once we were considering looking at unrelated children, I told Derek that I received IAG's newsletter this past month and they had some waiting children unrelated in there that we should look at. So we pulled it up and I showed him this little boy, Ash. And he is so adorable. So we continued to look over this 3 children and had medical reports on Ash and Mekdes but not on the other girl. So I took the 2 medical records I had and had them looked over and evaluated by a doctor. She came back on Friday afternoon with a good report. So Derek and I prayed that entire day about Ash and Mekdes and we knew God was telling us to accept those 2 children. However, after seeing that one little girl it was so hard to let her go especially since I would be able to get 2 girls but I know that God has a plan and it's for Mekdes and Ash to be in our family. So on Saturday morning, we submitted our referral acceptance form into our agency. So it's offical that we accepted Mekdes,girl age 2, and Ash, boy age 4.

We are overjoyed with excitement right now! The boys are excited! But I won't lie, we are a little overwhelmed with joy and fear at the same time and everything we want to get done before we can bring our children home. So satan has really been working hard in us to bring fear and doubt into our lives. I know with all my heart that we are where God wants us and that we need to hold strongly onto his Word and be praying that God will help grow our faith through this and make us stronger! God is so amazing in how he works out his plan in our lives. I have seen so much of how he uses us or others or situations to change and work it to how he wants it to come out. And it is so amazing to me! So please be praying for us as we are going through this process! We ask for strength that we may keep our eyes on the Lord and keep moving forward. We ask for prayers for our children in Ethiopia, for our children with us all ready that they will be accepting of their new siblings that will be coming, and for Derek and I to grow even closer together in faith. We thank our friends and family so much for all your support and love you have been showing us. It is such an exciting time but yet so scarey. And with out your support, love, and encouragement it can be really hard some days! So Thanks!

But also, there is also the possiblity of traveling twice still. The deadline is May 9th and even though we accepted our children we have to have everything submitted to the courts by that date or we will have to travel twice. So we are just kind of waiting to hear what will happen with that.

So that is the update for now! I will keep you all posted when we receive further information!

Wendy

Under Attack!

2010-03-31T20:52:00.004-04:00

We have had quite a month! The month started off with a coffeemaker breaking (not so bad), followed by our microwave, then Derek's work computer overheating and crashing (right before he had to travel). That happened the first week of the month. I had just gotten back a few days before this week started from Ohio. My mom had knee surgery and I was with her for 4-5 days and I was just starting to get back in my routines with the boys when this started. I also had to catch up with my work since I had been gone for a few days.

So the second week started with Derek traveling for most of that week and just me and the boys. So while he was gone, Garrett started to have a lot of problems with school. Then that same week, we received emails that Ethiopia is establishing stricter regulations for their adoption process to make sure the children are truely orphans (which is a good thing, but adds time to the process) and then the big news came out that there will be 2 trips now to Ethiopia (which will add another traveling cost to the adoption). So Derek was still gone at this time, it was really hard to discuss all of this while he was gone.

So the start of the third week, we still were having some issues with Garrett but as the week progressed we started a new approach and was doing good by the end of the week. Then come to find out, the 2nd trip to Ethiopia is not in effect yet but something the courts are working on. So good news, right? Well, this week was seeming to be better! Garrett doing better with school, not a second trip yet, Derek was back home. But things came up with Derek's work and he was only home for one day before he left again and was gone most of the week. So not too bad for the 3rd week but getting tired of Derek being gone.

So the 4th week started, and we were so hopeful for a good week with Derek being home with no sight of traveling this week. And then our home computer crashed one night and not knowing if we could get any of our data off it (kid's pics, my work). Then the very next day our water softner breaks. Not knowing it yet, started laundry and clothes came out orange! Then Molly, our dog, got sick the very same day. Was up all night coughing! So had to take her to the vet. So it was a very expensive week!!! However, by the end of this week we were in such disbelief with everything that had happened I was just starting to laugh! I had cried so much by this point there was nothing else to do except laugh!

So as this week started, again we were hopeful for a good week but starting to feel defeated. But thanks to my great friends, I had lots of encouragement! We started off with some good news that we were able to restore the computer with no data loss. So as of right now, we are waiting for a water softner and iron eradicator (I love saying that!!). So yesterday, I headed to the laundry mat to finish our laundry. And today we were able to let Molly back in the house (no more coughing), we have our computer back and running. So I am feeling like we are starting to get back to normal. Still need a microwave! The coffeemaker seems to be working again but the coffee taste horrible because of the water! I wish the more expensive things would fix themselves! Garrett is doing great in school again and Derek is going to be home all week and weekend!

But with all that bad news, we had great news today! We mailed in our dossier! We are officially on the waiting list! We are first in line for a set of girls and 2nd in line for a sibling set of a boy and girl! We are so excited! I can not wait to see what children God will bring into our lives!! He is such an amazing God. Also, my goal for myself of getting in the dossier was April 1st and it will be there today at 3pm. So all in God answered my prayer but not a day sooner!!!

2010-03-20T10:33:00.002-04:00

We received our draft for our homestudy yesterday. I was so excited! Finally something new has happened in the since the few weeks. So soon as IAG approves it then we can get everything ready to send in for our dossier!!! We have been occupying our time by reading up on Ethiopia, learning Amharic (Derek more than me right now) and following our yahoo group with IAG.

However some news came last week that they may be trying to have two trips to Ethiopia now instead of one. We is exciting that we could see our kids sooner but frustrating because that will add another big chunk of money to our expenses. So at one point last week they said it was true that it is two trips now but than they came back later in the week and said that it's not true yet but Ethiopia is trying to get 2 trips. So, I know that God is in control and that whatever happens it will be for the best!

We also taped our testimony last night for the church services this week. That was so hard for Derek and I as we don't like being in front of people on tape. But so excited that we had this opportunity to tell the church what God is doing in our lives! So we are nervous to watch that tomorrow!

So that's all for now!

Music

2010-03-05T13:38:00.003-05:00

I am so excited I just figured out how to add music to my blog. What an accomplishment!!!

Waiting

2010-02-23T17:23:00.002-05:00

Well, we are waiting right now! We completed our homestudy interview. So they are writing it up right now. So hopefully in another week that will be done. The interview was so quick and painless! They walked through our house, asked some questions, and was out the door in an hour and a half. We have all our papers ready for our dossier except our homestudy. So we are almost paper ready! Yeah! Then the real waiting starts.

Update

2010-02-15T21:37:00.002-05:00

Since I last added a post, we have received our binder! And boy it is big!!! But we are going right through it. We have started collecting our documents for our dossier and we are half way there. We have our homestudy interview Wednesday evening. We also sent in our I-600. So it is so nice getting so much accomplished! We have been reading this book "There's no me without you" and it has given Derek and I so much information about Ethiopia. It truly is eye opening. Any friends and family, I would encourage you to read it if you want to find out more information on Ethiopia and it also is a great story about an Ethiopian women rescuing orphans.

Also, I had a jewelry show last week that I meet an amazing bunch of women! One lady was friends with an Ethiopian women who lives here in this area. Also, 2 other women had adopted before and they shared their story with me. And then another lady also told me of 2 other families in our town that have adopted from Ethiopia. I couldn't believe all the connections I made at that show! It was defiently a "God Thing"!!!

Received our Application

2010-02-07T19:44:00.002-05:00

I just received an email on Friday and IAG, our agency, just received our application. We will be receiving our binder full of information this week and start on our dossier! Also received a call from our homestudy agency and they will call next week to set up a time for our interview. We are just so excited to get this journey started!!

Just the Beginning

2010-02-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

We have just started this blog so we can update our family and friends with what is going on with the adoption. So far we have picked our agency for our home study and today we sent in answers to a bunch of questions that we had to fill out. We have also filled out our application for our placing agency, IAG, and will be submitting that tomorrow! We are so excited and can't wait for this journey to begin!