Christmas Cookies

Our finished work! My mom in Law and sister in Law baked cookies and candy all Sunday afternoon! We are very proud!

December so far...

This month is flying by.. the girls decorated the tree last week, last weekend we had rehearsal for their ballet performance of the Nutcracker. Ava also got to be in our church's "A Night in Bethelehem" where they recreated the night Jesus was born, she was a beggar girl(really cute)Last night they had their ballet performance and it was so good!Genet is done with dance for now, I may put her in gymnastics this winter. Ava will continue in ballet until the next Youth Theatre play starts sometime the end of February. It is soooo cold here and the girls are playing outside in the snow. The dog keeps chasing them and stealing their mittens so they come in crying and cold!We took down the crib in Genet's room and she is now in a big girl toddler bed. At first, she couldn't understand Why she has to sleep on the floor(the bed is so low) but now she likes it. They keep wanting to share a room but we try it with sleep overs but they just keep each other up and since I can't get Genet to take naps she needs ALL the sleep she can get at night. I have been looking for a cheap (but tuned) used piano for Ava to start lessons this winter. Schooling at home is going well. She usually argues at first but I am trying to make things a little more hands on and fun. Right now I just want the girls to play and bond. We try and do Math and language arts 3-4 days a week. She is learning the 50 states, capitals and abbreviations. She has started to learn a little French. Science we are going to do some fun kits I ordered. I am also just reading her good literature and having her narrate it back to me. So she is busy. WE are learning HOW to learn together and that takes some fine tuning. I have not regretted a second for having her home. until later....

Genet singing!

okay, I know the picture quality is terrible but last night we were waiting for some friends in the car and Ava and Genet figured out how the headsets work and Ava has always liked Pavarotti so we put it on and Genet CANNOT hear herself singing but it was so unbelievably cute that I had to record it... Enjoy a future American Idol!!!

Catching Up!

okay, I haven't posted any pics in awhile because we have been sooooo busy! Science Museums, the Bodies Exhibit at the MOA, a waterpark for a birthday, plays and just everything else that comes along in life. Genet had her ECFE assessment and she passed with flying colors. They had an interpreter there and she refused to even acknowledge her, she would ask Genet a question and she would simply ignore her and then Ava or I would ask the same question and she would answer. Not sure what was up, she called Genet by the correct pronounciation of her name in Ethiopian and Genet told her in no uncertain terms HOW to say her name. It was funny, but I felt bad for the interpeter, she was very kind. We also had our 3 month post placement with our social worker this weekend. We have really lucked out with Genet, she is smart, loving and doesn't seem to have any issues that we need to be aware of right now. I am still waiting for something, it seems alot of families have one issue or another, I also know God only gives you what you can handle, so we must be weak!lol because our post adoption has been really really wonderful! I have felt so undeserving of this child and to have it be good is even more humbling.Enjoy some pics of our activites recently..

1 month of homeschooling and the learning continues

okay, so as usual, anytime I decide to get "into something" I have to become obsessed and my home is littered with info on my latest obsession, which happens to be homeschooling. So tonight as I was getting Ava ready for bed I told her she needs to start reading this chapter book on the "First Thanksgiving" in the magic treehouse series and she rolls her eyes at me and says, "Mom, I already KNOW about the pilgrims and thanksgiving." and it HIT me, yeah, she does and why do we have to keep talking and studing it just like the schools do, the same thing year after year. YUCK! know wonder they lose interest in learning, I know she doesn't know everything but so what, she is 7. She gets the idea of the pilgrims, thanksgiving and squanto, etc. So I think the most we will visit the topic is to watch "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" so about another hour or so went by and I decided to make a deal with her, while we will still have to do math and language arts almost daily,I asked her, WHAT do you want to learn about?anything you want, give me some ideas. I want her to WANT to learn and look forward to reading about pretty much anything. SO... she wants to learn about lights, who invented electricity; all of the president's pets, Walt Disney not the "guy" but why and how did he think of Mickey Mouse?; Moses; how did God know that our hands should be at the end of our arms, and how we should have blood; and the about the guy that painted the "margerita" she means the Mona Lisa. So I told her we will "google what we can" and go to the library and check out what ever subjects and books interest her. I am also reading a book on discoving your child's learning style and I think I have my work cut out for me. But you know what, I am interested in all these things too. So what an adventure we are on...
On another adoption note: Genet is doing amazingly well, thanks so much to Ava who is so patient and just a wonderful big sister. They really get along well. Genet had her last so called check up at the eye doctor today and everything check out great. She is picking up so much. She is smart and loving. I am truly amazed at both of my girls and feel incredibly blessed to have them.

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween, Genet got to see her first parade and go trick or treating. She totally got it!I mean a no brainer getting lots of candy, right?? Homeschooling is going really good. I can't believe for as much as I hated Ava starting school each fall that I didn't start homeschooling in Kindergarten. I love having her home and I feel like her math and reading are improving already. Of course, we have only been at it for a few weeks. Last Friday she got to go to the Cahill school and experience a real one room school house just like the pioneers. This week we are going to the science museum. So between, ballet for both, Youth group, swimming and field trips the weeks are soooo busy!Ava and daddy are starting puppy classes so we will see. I am NOT totally sold on the dog yet.lol

okay, as you know from my last post we have decided to homeschool Ava. I cannot tell you how at peace I have felt since that decision. It is like this large weight has been lifted and I am looking at Ava's future. So much, we or at least I am so "in the now" it is hard to look forward and WAIT but my decision to home school AVa is for her future, yes, I am not going to have as much time to myself and there are going to be days that I question, "What am I doing?" but honestly I feel like that now, nothing kicks your butt like parenting. Daily I struggle with things like, why is she so sassy?we don't allow that?are they watching to much TV(always a yes), why does she blantenly ignore me when I call her name?UGH!!!there were days that I was glad she got on the bus just so I didn't have to deal with it(I am ashamed to admit) Well ,everyday I get a message from Insight for Living and today was the following devotion: as usual God just knows when you need Him to reveal something to you and re affirm that you are doing the right thing.
October 20, 2009

Take It Easy
by Charles R. Swindoll

Proverbs 22:6 " Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Maybe it's because I just had another birthday. Maybe it's because I'm a granddad several times over. Or maybe it's because of a struggling young seminarian I met recently who wishes he had been higher on his parents' priority list than, say, fifth or sixth. He was hurried and ignored through childhood, then tolerated and misunderstood through adolescence, and finally expected to "be a man" without having been taught how.

My words are dedicated to all of you who have the opportunity to make an investment in a growing child so that he or she might someday be whole and healthy, secure and mature. Granted, yours is a tough job. Relentless and thankless . . . at least for now. But nobody is better qualified to shape the thinking, to answer the questions, to assist during the struggles, to calm the fears, to administer the discipline, to know the innermost heart, or to love and affirm the life of your offspring than you.

When it comes to "training up the child in the way he should go," you've got the inside lane, Mom and Dad. So---take it easy! Remember (as Anne Ortlund puts it) "children are wet cement." They take the shape of your mold. They're learning even when you don't think they're watching. And those little guys and gals are plenty smart. They hear tone as well as terms. They read looks as well as books. They figure out motives, even those you think you can hide. They are not fooled, not in the long haul.

The two most important tools of parenting are time and touch. Believe me, both are essential. If you and I hope to release from our nest fairly capable and relatively stable people who can soar and make it on their own, we'll need to pay the price of saying no to many of our own wants and needs in order to interact with our young . . . and we'll have to keep breaking down the distance that only naturally forms as our little people grow up.

Time and touch. Listen to your boys and girls, look them in the eye, put your arms around them, hug them close, tell them how valuable they are. Don't hold back. Take the time to do it. Reach. Touch.

When you are tempted to get involved in some energy-draining, time-consuming opportunity that will only increase the distance between you and yours, ask yourself hard questions like, "Could my time be better spent at home?" and "Won't there be similar opportunities in the years to come?" Then turn your attention to your boy or girl. Hold nothing back as you renew acquaintances.

Take it easy!

The two most important tools of parenting are time and touch.

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

Official Homeschoolers!

I have FINALLY decided to homeschool, after much thought and prayer, we are going to homeschool Ava. I have been agonizing over this (out loud, sorry Nicole and Cindy) since Ava started Kindergarten. We were not unhappy with her school we just felt that this is something we can do and provide Ava with a better education and it frees up so much time for her to do other activities. PLUS we get to see her everyday. She has been gone from 8:30 am to almost 5 pm everyday. Too long!! Please pray that all will go smoothly in transitioning to this next adventure in our family life. On another note, we got to finally enjoy some fall activities this weekend. WE went to the Berry Hill Farm with Grandma and Ava and Genet's little cousin, Jeffrey. It was a lot of fun. Looks like that is going to be it for awhile as the weather is just not cooperating this year.

Home for 2 months!

okay, this time has gone so fast. I am not saying this has not been a major adjustment for all of us having a 4th member but the last 24 hrs have really made the last 3 years ALL worth every tear!Mike, AVa and I prayed daily while waiting for Genet that obviously she would stay healthy and safe but mostly we wanted her to recognize us as her family, know we love her and that she would love us. Yesterday morning Genet has gotten into the habit of waking up really early and crawling in bed with us, so yesterday, she climbed up and wraps her legs and arms around me so tight and says, "I love you, mommy"(completely unsolicited) and last night Ava and I went to Ballet and Mike and Genet stayed home, so when I was getting them ready for bed she says, "I missed you" AWWWWWW! I said honey, I am sooo glad I am your mommy and you are here. and she said "me, too" Who can EVER doubt God answers our prayers?

OCTOBER SNOW?WHAT THE HECK??

we woke up on Sat morning to SNOW!!!Genet likes it. I don't!I am feeling a little remorseful that about a month ago I was ready to get the pool down and looking forward to cooler fall weather NOT winter!oh well, by sunday it is supposed to be 60 again.We got the girls pics done on Saturday morning and they turned out good. sunday we decorated pumpkins and rested. Ava is fighting a cold! She had an orthodontist appointment last week and she suggested to the doctor that he go to Africa and help kids because some have really bad teeth. I had to laugh a little. He was surprised that she had been to Africa and then she told him all about the kids that need his help. too funny.

A new family member!

Genet and I went out of town for a mere 36 hours(she got to meet her Great Grandma and we came home to a new puppy!We are not necessarily "dog" people but have talked about getting a German Shepard for a couple of years. Mike has Ava on video promising to help feed and take care of it. If I can figure out how to get it off is I-phone I will post it. I am not sure if I dare leave anymore. Ava named the puppy Thaddeus Delgado Gagnon.(what a mouthful)

Fall 2009

 

Mike cut wood last weekend and the kids Helped!(wink wink)

Genet Swimming!

can you believe this little gal has only been here for 6 weeks!!she loves the water. we put away the swimming pool at home this weekend, and she wasn't happy about it. She has no idea what kind of weather is coming in about 1 or 2months. It's good her preferred wardrobe is jeans and long sleeve shirts no matter how hot it is. I think God was preparing her for living in one of the coldest states in America.

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at ballet school.

playing at her cousins.

Daddy and Genet hanging out in the apple trees waiting for Ava to get off the bus.Mike took her with him the other day on an errand and the people had goats, she grabbed it by the horns and when the man gave her some food to feed it she ate it!too funny.

I got Genet's permanent resident card in the mail today!We have been home over a month now and Genet is getting more comfortable and Americanized everyday!lol She is trying AND liking more foods. She is in Ballet and LOVES it and is doing swimming lessons and LOVES that too. Ava started 2nd grade and I think Genet thinks she rides on a bus all day. Everytime we see a bus she says, Mom, Mom, Ava bus?We did a child dedication last Sunday at our old church and it was so fun to introduce Genet to all the people that have been praying for our journey since we started. I am sure she is wondering why does everyone come up to me all the time?I ran into the pastor/friend that married Mike and I and who have also adopted(domestically) this last week and what a fun blessing it was to see him!Ava is also in ballet and we haven't decided yet what else she is going to do. She wants to do another play this fall BUT she does NOT like getting up in the morning so I am not sure if I am willing to fight with her every morning since rehearsals can be up to 4 times a week and go really late. so we will see. I posted a few pics of our last couple of weeks. Fall is starting to get busy, there never seems to be a lull. I am so excited for Genet to see how pretty it gets here and for her to see and have fun in the snow!She likes to be outside all the time. I am having a hard time getting things done. Having two children really changes the dynamics and makes it alot harder to have any time to do projects around the home. On the other hand, it really makes me stop and just sit and enjoy time.God Bless

Ava's first day of School!

My big 2nd grader!I cry every year!

Video of Paris!!

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Home almost 3 weeks!

Wow that time has gone fast!!Ava starts school next week and I go back to watching my nephews. I watched them this last Tuesday and it was really fun to have them back. I really really missed them. Genet got her first set of shots on Monday, four of them with 7 vaccines!poor thing. She literally limped around until Tues afternoon. and we have to go back in a month for one more BUT then hopefully the flu shots will be available and then we will all have to get one too. someone asked me the other day if there has been any surprises and I thought for a moment, I am absolutely amazed at how our God knows just the right child, Genet has been an utter JOY!don't get me wrong, there are some tough things, like sibling rivalry, food, lice, scabies, giardia etc.lol BUT all I can say is how happy I am to finally have her here. She is amazing, in the morning she yells, MOM, until I come get her than she lays in bed with me, and puts her arms around me and smiles, kisses my cheeks,over and over. I tell her, I am sooo glad I am your mommy and she smiles more. God is so Good!This adoption journey has grown me in my faith and trust in the Lord to such a much deeper level. I am mourning the anticipation of meeting her, I know that sounds twisted, but I really feel God is moving my heart towards Ethiopia again.Maybe another adoption, I feel part of my heart is still there. That is the only way I can describe my feeling of longing. Does it mean we will adopt again?does God want us to do missions there?I guess we will have to wait and see what the Lord reveals.
God Bless,
Dawn

Summer Days!

Seriously, does it get any better than a hot summer day in Minnesota,swimming, laying in the sun and eating Cheetos?Week two has been easier!food thing still sucks(pardon my French)We have actually been busy, I have tried to NOT do too much running around but we just seem to have stuff to do everyday. Genet had a dermatologist appt this last week and all looks good. She saw no lice. YIPEE!!Mike has been waiting for our down comforter to be put back on our bed, but I had washed it once and put it in a bag and was waiting to get a clear ahead we had no lice!lol We are still having some serious jealousy issues with Ava, I guess it will just take some time. We reassure her everyday about how much we love her, but she just has a hard time when we are paying attention to Genet. On the other hand, Ava is so good with her, they play up in their rooms all the time. They change clothes constantly. Genet LOVES lip gloss, and is constantly putting it on(more around her lips than on them). She seems so well adjusted already. We have been bringing her with us to church and she is so wiley. I told Mike next Sunday she is going to Sunday school!I have been afraid to leave her at all. Ava has one more week before she goes back to school. Grandma got her heelys and if you know Ava it is funny, I told her she needs a helmet. Mike & I have always secretly called her Gilda(Gilda Radner from SNL)She has all this long wild curly hair, knobby knees and it a total clutz!so these shoes I can't figure out why she wanted them?oh well, at least the wheels are NOT allowed at school, so only need to worry at home.

Home for one week!

WE have now been home for a week!I am still doing loads and loads of laundry. We treated for lice and every little piece of lint in any one of our heads has me looking at it with a microscope. Genet got her teeth cleaned by Auntie Tammy on Monday(we got in on a cancelation)she did so good, we got great xrays and her teeth are in really good shape, no decay. The dentist estimated her to be about 3 1/2 so we are going to use our referral date of Feb 17th as her birthday. Her official date of birth will be February 17th, 2006! I also had a pediatrican appt for her on Wed that I made prior to traveling. I showed the Dr. some bumps on her wrists and palms and she said oh that is scabies!SUPER!so on Wednesday night; Genet, Ava, Mike and I all had to put on this cream after baths and leave on all night.In addition to getting stool samples for the parasites they think she has in her tummy.(poor thing)So yesterday(thursday) I washed all our bedding and clothes again.We finally got outside in the afternoon, it has been raining(pouring)since the beginning of the week. Other than those minor things, some things about Genet: she is a daredevil, this is God's sense of humor on an extremely cautious and doting mother who has always been afraid to have boys. She will climb the monkey bars and flip over and sometimes land on her feet. She thinks it is extremely funny when she lands on her head,back or shoulders.UGH!She goes down the slide head first,has already tackled a bike with training wheels, she gets stuck as yells, MOM until I come and turn her around and she has no fear of water. I have already signed her up for swimming this fall. She LOVES it when Mike throws and flips and wrestles her, I can hardly watch. She laughs so hard in this huge belly laugh that is just infectious. Ava and Genet fight like they have been sisters since the begining of time and Genet wants to be with her all the time, She yells Ava, Ava, Ava all day. Genet is a really good sleeper at night, naps are hit or miss. The only tough thing for me is the food. She is extremely picky and will not even try anything, she smells the box or carton and says no,no,no. Ava has always been such a good eater that this is definately out of my element.I am not pushing it yet but eventually she will be made to at least try it. She likes Dora and playing with Ava's barbies, mostly she like to play with the hair. She is particular about what she wears and she LOVES to wash her hands(like she is getting ready for surgery)I have to go in and shut the water off. She loves to brush her teeth that also takes about 15 minutes, I should not complain, I have to fight with Ava to do it and she takes about 30 seconds.lol other than that we are getting settled in. Mike has been working from dawn to dusk(literally)and he just left this morning(Sat)it is a mixed blessing. Can't complain about work.Soon he will be home all the time and driving me crazy.Ava starts school in a couple of weeks so we will be getting her ready in the next week for that. Grandma Heidi is taking her shoe shopping next week!anyway I hear little footsteps on the stairs..gotta go...

Sunday, August 9th

We got to Ethiopia about 6:30am absolutely no sleep for me; I cannot sleep on a plane. Ava slept most of the way and missed both meals (not good anyway) so by the time we arrived she had an empty stomach and got sick in line waiting for our Visas. Good thing I grabbed the sick bag from the plane. We got thru customs, exchanged money, all our luggage arrived and we were met by our America World representative at the airport. On our way to the Guest Home, Ava got sick in the van. Quick prayers this was only from an empty stomach. When we got to the Guest Home we pretty much crashed and slept until about noon. Guest Home was really clean and our room was nice, we had a kitchen, living room and a bedroom. We even had electricity AND hot water. Wahoo!! We had dinner there and met another family who had a son about Ava’s age and for the rest of the week they got along like two peas in a pod.

Monday, August 10th

We met in the lobby and did our paperwork party, which was only a couple of forms and then when we were done they informed us Monday night was ladies night and we could all opt to go to the Spa tonight. What? How awesome! Of course Mike wanted a massage and after some razzing from the other guys (which didn’t bother him) we scheduled our appointments. Off to lunch at a pizza joint and it was really good. All thru this I was eerily calm knowing in a couple hours we were going to meet Genet for the first time. So after lunch we were off, after a short drive we came to the gate of the TH home and I was seriously NOT going to cry and then when I saw the America World sign I teared up. We only had a group of 4 families and we take turns alphabetical by last name and we were 3rd in line. So we took other families cameras until our turn. My hands were literally shaking and then it was finally our turn, they brought out our little Genet, she came out and was soooo much cuter than I ever imagined. Her hair was all done up and she had on a dress we sent and she was just smiling like, it is FINALLY my turn. She was really tiny and came right to us. She was and is a little afraid of Mike. I knew we were not supposed to have any expectations for this moment and I was ready for her not to like me, but I am telling you it was LOVE at first sight. A lot of people say it takes awhile because this child is new, it doesn’t smell familiar or their mannerisms are not like ours but I seriously didn’t feel that and she took to me right away. We spent 3 hours there and played with balloons, Ava and Genet ran around and around the TH home and I thought, WOW, how am I going to run after a toddler again. Then Genet started to braid and play with Ava’s hair and it was soo funny, I have it on video. Then it was time to leave and Genet did NOT want me to leave. I had to pull her hand out of mine and a nanny took it then I looked back and she had this serious pout going on and tears and that was really hard. Did she think I was coming back? I promised her I would be back and then I had to just turn away. It was gut wrenching.
Going to the spa on Monday night was conflicting, it was in a way a good way to distract from thinking about our children and Ava and I got to have a girl’s night together. We both had pedicures and Mike and I both had massages. ALL TOGETHER it was about $70. Complete change from Paris. The Boston Spa was just as nice if not nicer then some of the spas around home. We opted out of the Ethiopian Dinner on Monday night since it got so late and we knew that Tuesday was going to be another big and busy day.

Tuesday, August 11th

They took us shopping on Tuesday morning, and I really didn’t feel like shopping. My mind was just not in the mood to barter for prices and try and find things to buy, believe it or not I do not like that kind of shopping. After another lunch we got to go back to the TH home and I was just like so ready to go get Genet. Give me my daughter. Then we got there and she was just getting up from a nap, she went to Mike and then I wanted to see her room and where she slept. I went back and saw where she had spent the last 6 months of her short life and I just lost it. It was nothing wrong with the room or place; just that I was going to be ripping her away from all she knew AGAIN. She was happy here, who am I to take her away from that? Will she be happier with us? Or will we wreck her by all the stuff she will now have or get? I took some pics for her and there was a rainbow painted on the wall, Mike suggested maybe we have one painted in her room when we get home. We changed her clothes and I kissed the nannies, they were sad too. Then it was time to give out our care packages we brought for other families and take pictures for them. This gets really really crazy. But I was sooo happy to do this for other families, the pictures we received during our wait were just a precious lifeline to Genet and a real comfort. I had out packages and Mike took the photos. I thought how am I going to remember whose kids are whose? and after meeting them and hugging and taking pics you can easily remember. They are all so amazing and the families are going to be so blessed by them. When it was time to leave I thought we would have a little sadness from Genet but no, she just got right in the van got on the seat(legs swinging and dangling) and smiled like she was so ready for it to be her turn to have a family. It was so fun bringing her back to the Hotel everything was new; Ava wanted to show her everything. I had to explain that not too much it is overwhelming. Her shower was funny she is just game for everything, loved the warm shower, loved lotion, her jammies, blankie, all of it. We all went to bed and slept all night.

Wednesday, August 12th

We just hung out and played in our room today. We have our Embassy appt this afternoon. It took us over 3 hours. It was a long wait but the official that asked us the questions seemed to really know what she was doing and it took less than 5 minutes. She told us congratulations. FINALLY, the last step is done. We can go home. I am so ready to get home.

Thursday, August 13th

Ava and I visited the orphanage today. Ava was really great, she handed out fruit snacks and was mobbed by kids, you can tell in the pics she is kinda of nervous.lol One of the ladies there did a coffee ceremony for us and the coffee was FABULOUS! The orphanage was about what I expected and I was teary eyed more than once. These kids are just great and to think so many will not have homes. We brought donations and I stopped and bought a whole bunch of bananas. One of the older girls took my wrist and gave me a wrist band off of her hand, she patted my check and gave me a kiss. It was so sweet, I had to turn away for awhile, did she think I needed comforting, what was wrong with me? this sweet sweet girl was worried about someone else. I wish I would have thought of things to bring the older kids, they get left out with all the babies and little ones.

Mike and Genet stayed back at the Guest home and all was well until they lost power and Dora got shut off. He tried to get her to stop crying so he painted her fingers and toes, yes, Mike did that! and show her pics of mommy on his I-pod but she would have none of it. She was really upset. Poor Mike, he is trying but she is already a momma’s girl. When we got home my mom and dad asked him how the trip went and he said it was a long way to go to get hit and kicked.

We had dinner at the Guest house Thursday night and Genet does NOT like spaghetti, to bad, we eat spaghetti a lot. We are ready to go home and start the long flights. We are all sleeping okay, this was the first night I heard the Muslims praying. The dogs are usually barking. The funny thing is the Guest home is quieter during the day than at night. Go figure.

Friday August 14th

We did a little walking around this morning and packed! We met in the lobby at 5:30 pm for a prayer before we left for the airport. As we were driving to the airport in the van, Genet was looking out the window and for the first time she wasn’t holding my hand, she was just looking out the window and it looked to me that she was just taking in everything about her country she could at that age. She was just staring, I commented on it to another mom we were leaving with and we both just started to cry. The emotions of this week and everything we had experienced came to a head, we were so glad to be going home yet at the same time it was really sad. I just can’t explain it. We got to the airport and I was nervous again, just shakey going thru security like someone was going to stop us. Our flights were on time and extremely long about 16 hours on the plane from Addis to DC via a fuel up in Rome. Genet did not want the seat buckle on the plane but I just stuck to it and she has this serious pout but too bad, wait until she gets put in a car seat. The girls both slept most of the way, which was great, I was unsure how to entertain a toddler that does not speak English on a plane. We got into DC on Sat morning and we ate at a hamburger joint right away.lol Fries, Cokes WITH ice. Then I headed to starbucks for Ice Tea, I had been craving Ice Tea for almost 2 weeks! We had a 6 hour lay over in DC and then a 2 hour flight home. We were so happy to land in America in DC that I just wanted to kiss the ground. We had a nice size travel group and everyone seemed like they felt okay. Some had a cold etc. but over all Mike, Ava and I did not get sick. We were taking probotics and I think that helped tremendously. We had a water leak at home and thank goodness we had someone staying at our home so it was caught right away and my father in law took care of it right away, called our insurance and started all the bids and estimates. My folks picked us up from the airport and took care of stuff at our home too. We are soo blessed with our families and all the support we have. Thank you to all for prayers, support and the ones who sent donations for the TH and orphanages. They were so needed and appreciated.

Stay tuned… our adventure is just beginning!lol

We are HOME!!!

We got home Saturday night about 5:30pm. I will post details in a couple of days. We are just trying to get unpack and settled in again. We treated just in case for lice, since that is going around, so I am washing EVERYTHING. spraying out suitcases. I don't think Genet has it but it was going around, so we are trying to be proactive. We took our first bath last night. Genet LOVES water, she is constantly washing her hands. After we got our jammies on, we showed her her room and she went over to the toy bins and found a pony like the one we sent her and then she found a barbie like the one we sent her and I think it hit her what she left. Everything she new, she started crying really softly and it just broke my heart she went downstairs and put on her shoes and was standing by the door with the pony and barbie just crying so soft with big tears.So Mike came in and we prayed over her and asked God to comfort her and within a few minutes she stopped, she was still really quiet and laid with all of us awhile and then I put her in her crib(she is still in a crib at the TH home, so we thought that would be most comforting)and we all slept until about 5 am.She is doing good and playing this am. She loves juice. Ava is really good with her and she calls Ava all the time.Please pray for Ava she is having a little adjusting going on. She has been really hit hard this last week, everyone is all interested in Genet and everything she is doing is so cool and Ava has really been put in the background. I am going to try and have a little Mom and Ava time this week.I will post more soon.Thank you for all the prayers. And thanks to Mom and Dad and my inlaws who took care of soooo much while we were gone.
love,
dawn

Au revoir Paris!

Goodbye Paris, I LOVED Paris!!We toured all over. Saw the Eifel Tower, went through the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa. I can't pronounce anything here. Paris is lovely!EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE!!Breakfast was like $70. INSANE!I don't think we will ever be able to come back here but we have really enjoyed it.I think when Ava is older she will appreciate it but for her all the walking has been hard,and food she is not used to but she says she liked it. We are heading to Ethiopia ToNIGHT!!YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I am going to try and post some pics but I am having to charge everything separate because my power strip doesn't work in our converter. So far we are all feeling well. Can't wait to meet our Genet!
Blessings,
dawn

Bonjour!!!

It is Friday morning and we just woke up. We got all confused last night, we got in around lunch time Paris time and our room was not ready so we changed clothes and did a little walking but we were sooo tired. way to hard to sleep on the plane. but we stayed up until about 8pm. We had dinner at the Hard Rock and have taken lots of Pictures already. We went to bed and when we woke up we thought we slept all morning and then after about 2 hours without the sun coming up we realized the clock in our room was totally wrong and it was only 3am. Greg, I tried to text you back!so we eventually fell back to sleep and now it is 9am. Mike thinks we overslept now.lol Well, we told Ava today we will go to the Eifel Tower today, I hope she doesn't think Fancy Nancy will be there, well until later. Au revoir.

Oh La La!!Paris here we come!

In 48 hours we will be on our way to Paris!we are spending about 3 full days there and then on to Ethiopia. One week from now Genet will be with us forever!We have everything confirmed!I want to make sure that I thank all our families and friends that have responded to our letter we mailed out the end of May for us to bring donations. We have filled 3!!!! suitcases of things to bring including formula, medications, toothbrushes, legos for the orphanages I plan on visiting while we are there. Thank you so much. I thank God that I have such an amazing family and friends who felt it in their hearts to give so generously to the Transition Home and orphanages. Your prayers are much appreciated!I am going to try and blog while we are there as long as we have internet!
God Bless,
Dawn

Travel Buddies Blogs!

The following families are traveling with us!
you can follow their trip with us:

Shala Bartley shalabartleyethiopianadoption.blogspot.com
Pace Family pacefamilyjourney.blogspot.com
Andrews Family addingandrews.blogspot.com

We are TRAVELING!!!!!

WE got official word we are traveling!!We are going to spend 3 nights in Paris on our way over there.and one week from Monday I will FINALLY get to hold my little Genet!We lucked out all our tickets have been confirmed and they arrived today FED EX!I better get busy packing, haven't really started.PLEASE cover us in prayer as we travel!
pray we all stay healthy and safe.
pray for our hearts as we become a family of four!
pray all our luggage makes it!and our flights are on time.
pray we get thru customs(have you seen Mike's beard?)still hoping he shaves it BEFORE we leave)lol
We have been so blessed with all the work we have had this summer that we pray Mike taking time to travel will not effect any of our accounts and he will have time to bond with Genet.
THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH!Last night I told Mike that all of a sudden I am scared and he squeezed my hand and said its gonna be fun!
Gotta go, I am crying again.
peace,
dawn

July Update!

 My little lady!She has gained another pound since our June update.She can sing the alphabet.She loves to be tickled!She also likes to play a traditional game called Tezeleleo(where the kids form a circle by holding hand to hand, sing and jump)She eats well and has been healthy!Thank you God!!

PAPERWORK!!!

I have just finished getting paperwork together and copies of everything, including 5!! copies of our passports. WHEW!!I kid you not, the stack of paper work is 2 inches thick.I have been working on it for 3 hours. Ava is having a sleepover so I really had to force myself to sit down and go thru everything. I was kind of dreading it.Everyone is asking if we are excited. and I really have to say NOT YET!!I don't feel like I can let myself yet. We have come so close too many times that I don't want my hopes up.I have a lot to do and yet I feel like I am in a dream that when you are trying to get ready to travel and you just spin in circles and can't accomplish anything. that being said our Adoption agency recommended we book our tickets, so I have done that but I will share more of our plans a little later. I have to share that our wait has not been in vain. Our church just finished VBS this last week, I had not planned on Ava going because I thought we would be gone or have just gotten back so I did not sign her up, Well, as you know, plans change. VBS started off with a GO FISH concert on Sunday the 19th, I had gotten tickets for Ava, Mike and I to go and Mike ended up having to work so Ava invited a friend with her from our neighborhood and she ended up going to VBS all week with Ava and they really enjoyed themselves. I am really happy that Ava is so excited to share Jesus with her friends.I am really proud of her.Anyway, God has a funny thing of revealing things while you wait. I will post more about our travel plans later(hopefully tomorrow).

COFFEE!!

Well as of today all my fellow YG Friends that had referrals in February have officially passed court!I have not had coffee since May 1st!!!tomorrow I'm having a pot of coffee!HeeHee.I am so happy for all of these families that have been waiting even longer than we have. 6!!mos is a really looooong time to wait to pass court!but God is good, ALL the time. I have been humming that tune for about 1 week now. Now I know why.
God is Good.
ALL the Time, he so so good. yes He is. ALL the time.
Peace,
Dawn

Genet's Birth Certificate!!

okay so I get home after a day of errands and open my email and what did we get?Genet's birth certicate WITH our names on it as mom and dad!!I can't stop crying!! and another email stating that we are highly likely to be able to travel from the 8-14th of August!meaning next week!!we are leaving!anyway will update as I know more, I have to go get groceries put away and make calls and book flights!!!
Blessings
Dawn

New Picture!

 

What a DIVA!!this is some stuff we sent her awhile back.so fun to finally see her in something we sent!We are hoping to hear something this week on when we will finally travel.stay tuned...

Delayed AGAIN!

I got a call this afternoon that the department that processes post court paperwork is closing for 2 weeks for training, which of course effects our travel since the paperwork for Genet will not be processed until after the 24th of July.UGH!!!!So once AGAIN we have to wait since there will more than likely be a backlog of paperwork when it re-opens. So we will not possibly be traveling until mid-August.Not much more to say. I won't believe it until we are in Ethiopia, daughter in hand and leaving.
peace,
dawn

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

A post from our Adoption Agency's blog

Please read
Blessings
Dawn


Now that I am home I will be blogging about my past days in Africa. On the last night of our Visiting Orphans trip, I asked every team member what was their most memorable moment. Here is mine:

We spent a day at one of the many Mother Theresa Orphanages in Ethiopia. This orphanage has about 400 kids with HIV. The number is staggering and a very small percentage of these children are ever adopted. It is one of the most hopeless places we visit as a mission team.

The guys played football, aka, soccer with the older boys while most of the women led the children in songs and arts and crafts. While I was working with one set of kids, a team member named Audrey cried out my name. When I turned to see what was the matter, she was trying to help a little 4 year old boy out of a ditch. He had been pushed by another child head first into this rock ditch and blood was running all down his face and onto his hand, while he cried in pain. Without thinking, I picked him up immediately and rushed him to the clinic that was on this large compound. I was with a volunteer who worked there and she asked me if I had any open wounds. I had not even thought about that. Not once did I hesitate to not pick him up because he had HIV. Thankfully it never crossed my mind!

However, in that moment, the danger of this virus and the threat of it scared me. I quickly realized there was no concern as I did not have an open wound, and I laid my head against his bloody head and tried calming him and comforting him. It seemed to work. Pretty soon the nurse took him and laid him on the table. He was crying as she pressed on his head. She uttered something to him in amharic (the national language of Ethiopia) and he quickly stopped crying. I was amazed as she put disinfectant on his sore and he didn't let out a peep. I myself would have been crying and carrying on!

I asked her what she said and my heart broke with her answer. She told him, "If you keep crying, I will not help you and you will get an infection". So, no matter how hard she pressed, he did not let out a sound. You know this tiny boy wanted a Mama during this time. Someone to let him cry. Someone to kiss his wounds. Someone to reassure him he will be okay.

Most orphans NEVER have someone to pick them up when they fall, or to kiss them, or to comfort and hold them. They either go uncomforted or are hushed like this nurse did to him. I excused myself from the room as for me even, it was too painful to watch. Pretty soon, he found me in the multitude of children and grabbed my hand. He was such a quiet and shy boy that even the interpreters couldn't get him to talk, so I don't know what he thought. But he did manage to say that his head was still hurting. Then all the sudden he left with all the other children to go to lunch. He didn't look back..he just walked away. That was a sad moment for me too. I realized that they are used to visitors coming and going and never seeing them again. He didn't even bother to say good-bye. Why bother...he doesn't seem to have any hope.

Later that night I laid awake in tears as I realized he could have had a concussion and no one looked into that chance. I was so worried. So, my husband and I prayed for him until we couldn't stay awake any longer. I wish I could tell you his name. I am more than ashamed that I do not know it. He just wouldn't talk though.

This is one reason why I love my job as our Development Director. I get the chance to work for a fundraising campaign that does bring orphans some hope. Our Orphan's Ticket Home campaign works tirelessly to help bring more children home. I love knowing that even though I was unable to bring this particular child home and could only be there for that one moment in his life, I can still help other orphans find their way home through this campaign. If you are inspired in any way by this blog post, please pray about giving to this campaign. You can do so at www.orphanstickethome.org.

Until They All Have Tickets Home,

Amanda Lawrence

Director of Development

June Update Photo!

 

Our most recent photo we have gotten from our adoption agency America World.Can't wait to see you sweetheart.

It's Official!!!Thank you Jesus!!She is finally ours!!

Introducing Our daughter and sister: Genet Nicole Gagnon. Thank you for all the prayers

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

FAMILY MEMBER ON HIS WAY!!!

Please, please from the bottom of my heart pray for us. G**** family member is on his way to court. It is not an easy journey(geographically and financially)for him. pray that he makes it safely there AND home. that the judge is satisfied with his testimony and all his proper identification is good with the judge.As much as I WANT this I am still trying to be content in my circumstances. Much easier said than done. The family member is still relinquishing a part of himself and I can not imagine the heartache he is going through, I am praying for peace for him and the rest of his and G*** Family.
thank you.

Happy 7th Birthday Ava!!!

We celebrated Ava's birthday a little early this year since we are unsure when we will be traveling in the next couple of months. I never thought we would be having her birthday party this year without her little sister. Every milestone that has come or goes by is so hard. Even grocery shopping, looking at the expiration dates, I am thinking, I wonder - will we be home with G*** by then. Everyday I ask God to help me for just today, only today, I can't think any further than that, it is so hard. I can't look back either and think about all the stuff she is missing with us. I have to rest in the Lord's peace. I am very grateful He is guiding me, pointing out things that remind me to be grateful for what I have TODAY. and I am.

Blessings and Love,

Dawn

Update on the Wait!

I got a call today from Anna at our Adoption agency and she said they have been following up with the orphanage every day to find the family member needed to get to court. They have been unable to get into direct contact with him but found out he has been out of the region probably due to getting work. I am sure it was a hard decision as he needs to provide for his family. He has been cooperative and was even in Addis Ababa on May 20th, for our 1st court date, so this is a great hardship, I am sure, for him to make ANOTHER 2 day journey to Addis. Please pray that he will be able to be contacted and found and able to make it to the courts without his family being under hardship with him leaving for a couple of more days. It just hit me that I am so self centered thinking WHY isn't he going?here I sit in my nice home with plenty of food, air-conditioning and I am whining while this poor man is struggling to put food on the table for his AND he had to relinquish a tiny family member. My heart is going out to him. May God forgive me for my selfishness. Every time I call Mike at work he thinks I am calling with good news, poor guy, he has to listen to me carry on, he is soooo calming for me. I love him more than words can say. Who would have thought he would be telling me to be patient. lol

The Prince & Princess with the Frog

Ava & Charlie catch frogs everyday!This one was actually kinda cute!Ava lets them go in the afternoon but not before kissing it Goodbye.Hmm...

Waiting,Waiting,Waiting

How are we passing the time?Enjoying the HOT weather and swimming,swimming,swimming.

We didn't pass AGAIN!!!

Well, we sort of half passed. Our paper work was complete and fine per the judge BUT the family member didn't show up!so now what?well, our agency is going to have to track them down and get them to court. Our case remains open so as soon as the can get the family member to Addis Ababa we can potentially pass right then. Our Agency's co ordinator felt VERY POSTIVE that this will be resolved in the next week to week and half. IF it happens yet this week we could still leave by July 1st!!how am I doing?I am actually really really good this time around. very calm. I can totally feel all the prayers and well wishes from everyone. THANK YOU!!! I have a tremendous amount of hope. GOD is GOOD!!!! I am praising Him today for our adoption journey, I wouldn't trade any of it.Thank you again for all the calls and emails. Hopefully my next post will be telling you all we passed!

God Bless,
Dawn

Lots to be done today in Ethiopia~

Tonight as I am writing it is Monday morning in Ethiopia and A LOT has to be done for our case. MOWA(Ministry of Women's and Childrens Affairs)needs to write a letter of recommendation to the courts for us to adopt G*** unless they have already done so. Remember last time our Power of Attorney form needed to be redone.Also, a family member may need to be found today and may need to be present at court tomorrow. So how can you pray for us?



1) pray that ALL paperwork is done and to the courts and the judge is satisified with everything.

2)pray that if a family member needs to be at court they are found, able to travel, and the judge is satisfied with their testimony.

3)pray for all our hearts and G*** that we will be open and ready to LOVE each other even more than we already do.

4)pray that we are ready and willing to accept whatever God has in store for us and for us NOT to get discouraged.



This process has had soo many ups and downs but I am so glad to be on it. We are praising God for even letting us be part of this amazing journey for every part of it. the good the bad and the ugly!



A little excerpt from Ava's prayers last night:



Dear Jesus, please, pleeeeeese let the judge say YES that G*** can be my sister and we can go to Ethiopia and bring her home.



AMEN to That!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ONE!!!Week until our 2nd Court Date!!

YEAH!We are down to one week again,we have been trying to keep busy, we got our May update on G*** she has gained a pound since April, she likes female toys and will bite if one of the other kids takes her toys away.YIKES!!I told Mike and he said "thata girl". Well it's nice to see she has some spunk she is going to need it to be a Gagnon!The pics we got of her were so cute she had on some girly clothes.FINALLY!!and a little headband.in one pic she is by some flowers, they are just awesome pics.We also got our new Tenative travel dates for July 4-July11th, I put our tickets on hold with Emirates.We are bringing Ava with us since we are HOPEFULLY going to be traveling over her Birthday, Which is July 5th, What a birthday, we told her we will still have a party when we get home but how many kids get to go to Dubai and Africa for their B-days!We are checking into a safari dune buggy type excursion to do in Dubai where we will get to ride camels and see real belly dancers!All this is tenative of course on us passing court next Tuesday(Monday night). Stay tuned and PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR US!!!

2 Weeks Until 2nd Court Date!

Well we are down to two weeks again, remember it will actually be on Monday night the 15th of June as Ethiopia is 10-11 hours ahead of us. So as we sleep our case will be heard. Please pray that all our paperwork is done to the judge's satisfaction and that if any family members need to be present that they are there and the judge is happy with their testimony.We could possibly be traveling July 1st IF we pass court June 16th. On a praise note, the Addis Ababa Embassy FINALLY received our updated approval with the correct info.YEAH!!!!That has been a real headache dealing with the National Visa Center/Immigration. Also our 2nd Power of Attorney form was FED EXed to Ethiopia last Friday. Praise God!We are trying to keep busy until court. Mike got a bigger pool this year and the kids(Ava and my nephews) are sooo excited to get it up. That project took on a life of it's own; we needed to cut down a HUGE tree and pour a concrete slab for it. Projects always seem to get bigger than you plan.lol

3 Weeks to court!

countdown begins again. Well after spending 3 hours Friday morning trying to get into contact with our local congressman and senator I got a call from our adoption co ordinator on our way out of town that the Secretary of State apostilled our Power of Attorney form INSTEAD of certifing it. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soooo, yesterday on Memorial Day I found a notary to help us at a local grocery store, we did the form AGAIN and this morning I loaded up my nephews and went back down to the Secretary of State, they were really nice about it and re did it for free. Wow.Thanks alot. If they only knew what they did. Sometimes I stop and think about this journey and the people that have helped us (or not) by the simple stamp or signature they do everyday and do they realize the ripple effect it can have sometimes?It makes me stop and think how important even our every little day mineal(?) tasks are and how even a comment or expression can really effect someone's day or event in there life. It makes me appreicate God even more and all that he is doing for us that we don't even see, all the work that goes into everything we do or have.Anyway, our 2nd POA form is on its way to our adoption agency in VA and we are praying for a miracle that maybe, just maybe we will get an earlier court date. If not, well pray we have peace and patience as we wait.

POA and USCIS Updates!

Okay, I did not have a good night last night, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, I think I need to re read some of my earlier posts about attitude. I am angry, sad, worried!On a good note our adoption co ordinator did receive our new Power of Attorney form this morning, so it should be on its way on Monday to Ethiopia, HAND DELIVERED with a staff member that is going there. I am praying for a miracle that our court date will get moved up!and for all my other friends that are needing the same thing to happen. At least we have a court date, some did not even get to schedule court.See, I am trying to be positive. Okay, on another not so good note our USCIS Extension approval has been cabled 2 times to Addis Ababa and for some reason they still claim NOT to have it. I really don't know if I can sit on the phone and deal with this all day, I really don't even FEEL like being nice.UGH!!!Our adoption travel co ordinator said if they don't get it done we may have to get some authorities involved like our congressman.I really feel like curling up and sleeping until June 16th!My energy level is zapped!BUT then I realized I have a beautiful little girl in Ethiopia waiting for me and another beautiful little girl here that is watching how I react and I pray she will someday think of her mother as a women who trusted in the Lord at the hardest times and that I conducted myself with grace and dignity.
God Bless my family and Friends.Thank you for reading all my posts and praying for me.
Have a GREAT Memorial day weekend!
Dawn

Ava helping get her new baby sister's room ready!

Our Ethiopian Princess's Room is Ready!

I had to have this picture!It was just too cute!

Easter Egg hunt

Movie Stars collecting Eggs

Okay,some fun pictures!

What's happening to my teeth!!!

A New Day!

I woke up this morning feeling a lot better, I am going to rejoice in this day and remember how much God loves me and our children. He loves us!! Please don't think I am this sappy happy person all the time. I was and am heartbroken we didn't pass court but I am moving forward, we have a new court date. In the big picture of our lives these couple more weeks won't be so bad. I want to thank all our family and friends that have called and emailed and prayed for us and are still doing so. Thank you so much.We love you. and PLEASE keep praying for us we need it.

Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

The Importance of Atittude!

I need reminding of this!

THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDEby Charles R. Swindoll
Philippians 2:3-5
This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me, or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. The attitude I choose keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.
Yet we must admit that we spend more of our time concentrating and fretting over the things that can’t be changed than we do giving attention to the one that we can change, our choice of attitude. Stop and think about some of the things that suck up our attention and energy, all of them inescapable: the weather, the wind, people’s action and criticisms, who won or lost the game, delays at airports or waiting rooms, x-ray results, gas and food costs.
Quit wasting energy fighting the inescapable and turn your energy to keeping the right attitude. Those things we can’t do anything about shouldn’t even come up in our minds; the alternative is ulcers, cancer, sourness, depression.
Let’s choose each day and every day to keep an attitude of faith and joy and belief and compassion.
Take charge of your own mind!

Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, Day by Day with Charles Swindoll (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2000). Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Not today, NEW Court Date June 16th

We did not pass court today due to an old power of attorney form they are requiring to be updated. Mike and I will have to have it notarized and then also at the Sec of State level. I am going to do it tomorrow and hopefully have it to our adoption agency by Friday. We received a new court date of June 16th.I am really bummed and have already had my pity party. I do not like to wallow in self pity. So I am fine.A later travel date works better for Mike. He said lets go early, rent a car, pick up the family member that may need to be present and represent ourselves in court.lol I could seriously see him do that. When Ava saw me crying she started and said, "We didn't pass today did we" and I told her not today but we have a new court date. and she said "MEAN JUDGE" can I play on the computer now? Kids can be really resilant. I wish my heart was as much. "God makes everything happen at the right time. He planted eternity in the human heart, but even so,people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end" Ecclesiastes 3:11

Court TONIGHT!!!

Well Prayer Warriors, Tonight is the night!When we go to sleep(right!)tonight Ethiopian Courts will be open and our case will be heard to determine if G*** will officially become ours. I pretty much have butterflies in my tummy all the time. I can pretend and write all I want that I am content and at peace but this is really hard. Harder than I can ever explain. I do have moments of peace and I realized yesterday that was an exact time that someone was actually praying for us.Thank you!!!Today, I am trying to keep busy, watching kids & book work hoping that I can get all of this done before we leave.If we pass court and can travel as planned it works so well with doing the books.among other things.I put together or should say figured out the car seat again. I forgot how complicated that can be. I had to put my nephew in it and he was really good about it.(he is only 19mos)He is about the same size and weight as G*** so it was a good way to figure out the constraints.The weather is great today and tomorrow it is supposed to be 90!So I am going to get the little pool set up to keep my nephews busy!!I am praying to be celebrating with a LARGE cup of coffee with all my fellow YG Friends on all our successful court hearings tomorrow. It has been 20 days since I had any coffee!lol. I need my caffeine.

USCIS

ONE!!Week from today and we will find out if G*** is officially ours!I am soo excited!at times I feel like I am going to be sick to my stomache.This has been such a bittersweet week for our fellow families adopting with us from Ethiopia. 5 out of 11 families passed court. While we are praising God and rejoicing with those families we are just heartbroken over the families that have rescheduled court dates or no court dates at all.We got notice today that our USCIS approval that was sent to Addis Ababa on April 1st, 2009 has not been received. I had to contact the NVC and request they re email it. If this does not get done, we may not be able travel on time.PLEASE put this on your prayer lists that everything gets into them on time.

God Bless
Dawn

MOWA Letters of recommendation

We are about a week from court and up until yesterday I was getting excited to have this court date and be on our way to our daughter. Then we got notification that MOWA will not be writing recommendation letters for children in certain circumstances. While, this has not affected our family. My heart is soo heavy for my friends that are now stuck in the court system with out a way to know when it will end. I am really nervous about court now. The judges are being even more meticulous with paperwork,as it is wonderful that the Ethiopian Government is taking all precautions to ensure that children are not trafficked, it is just heartbreaking to be almost at the end of this journey only to see the wait time increase. This is once again, God requiring us to lean on HIM at all times and in all things. I recently read on another blog that we have to remember our children are God's not ours. WE get the previlage and blessing of our children from God. Our adoptions are God's plan for our lives, he will not allow these children away from us any longer than He has already planned. How mighty He is.Please join me in prayer for these families that MOWA and the Ethiopian government will quickly get through their investigations and for the families to find peace and patience in Christ.

Ways to Donate!

Dear Family & Friends,
As you saw in my last post there is dire need for formula right now. I have added a link to the right, please click on it and see how you can help. I am sure I won't possible be able to bring all the formula and supplies that our generous family and friends are sending us, the other way is to go through the Children's Hope Chest. Please visit their website and Tom Davis's blog to see how YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! There are testimonies from families that have and are adopting through the same agency we are. Duni is our America World in country coordinator and she addresses the issues of the children in the May 4th blog. PLEASE take time to read it and pray about it.

Blessings
Dawn

Fasting & Travel Plans

Well folks, we are sixteen days until court.YIPEE!!My tentative travel group has decided we are going to fast and pray, pray, pray until our May 20-21 court dates!We have all given up something from chocolate to sweets to coffee. YES, I am giving up my beloved coffee. I have made it 3 days already!!And boy do I need it, with 3 little boys Mondays-Wednesdays I really need the energy. We have also been trying to figure out our travel arrangements. We have gone from all of us going to just Mike and I to all three of us and now maybe just me. Our adoption agency has given us too much time to think about it. Quicker court dates and we wouldn't be able to come up with all these different ideas.LOL So stay tuned... and KEEP PRAYING!!

You Can Help!!

Dear Family and Friends,

I want to start out thanking all of you for praying for us during the last 2 ½ years.
As many of you know we are close to the end of our almost 3 year journey to our daughter. It has been a long and sometimes very discouraging journey but we are following God’s plan for our family and we believe this now more than ever. The families we have met and lessons we have learned over the last couple of years have deepened our relationship with God on so many levels and now we are getting ready to travel and meet our daughter for the very first time. I can not begin to describe the emotions of seeing her for the first time or the love you can feel for a child you have never touched but is as real as anything I have ever felt.

We currently have a court date of May 20th, 2009 and if we pass we plan on leaving here around June 3rd. We will be bringing 2-3 extra suitcases full of donations that we receive that we can leave at the orphanage where our daughter is from. Right now, she is in a Transition Home where she is getting great care. The nannies are all very loving and she gets medical care weekly. Although, not all medication is currently available in Ethiopia so some things will have to be taken care of when we return to the United States.

Below is a list of items that the orphanages and the Transition Home needs.
We will be donating all the items to the orphanages where the need is so much greater and the families that have recently visited said the need will just break your heart and bring you to tears.

Other ways to help: you can send us a check or gift card and I will pick up supplies from Wal-Mart or Target. Other ideas is your place of employment can you pass around a donation envelope or does your employer have any of the available supplies they would be willing to donate. If you are interested in helping out more our adoption blog (www.gagnonadoptionjourney.blogspot.com) has the link to our adoption agency and any donations to them are 100% tax deductible.

I would like you to only consider this letter as a request and not for anyone to feel obligated in any way. Prayer is the most powerful way to help these orphans. One thing I have learned is that I may not be able to adopt every orphan I see, but sometimes one picture will touch your heart and God is asking you to be a prayer warrior for that child. There is a great video on our blog you can watch on Why Ethiopia? Please take a moment to watch it. It will give you ideas on how YOU can help and what to pray for.

Please follow our blog as we will continually update our adoption journey. I cannot wait for all of you to meet our new daughter. As soon as we pass court I will post a video on our blog with pictures of her.


Love and Blessings,

Dawn Gagnon


Items Needed at the Transition Home

Children’s Clothing(new or slightly used) Boys & GirlsSizes 0-8 years old
Diapers size for up to 30 lbs
Unscented Baby wipes
*Powdered Formula with DHA/RHA
*Alimantum Formula or Nutramigen – Enfamil Formula
A+D Original Ointment,Diaper Rash and All-PurposeSkincare Formula
Hand Sanitizer

MEDICATIONS NEEDED
Multi VitaminsTri-vi-sol(0-6 monsths)
Poly-vi-sol (6 months to 2yrs)
Chewable multi vitamin(2yrs-9yrs)
Adult Multivitamin 9 yrs +
Tylenol(acetaminophen)
Infants
Childrens Suppository
Syringes for giving meds (5ml)
Plastic disposable gloves
Baby nose saline spray
NeosporinMouth and nose masks
Benadryl liquid/elixir
Permetherin for scabies
Lice kits
Toothbrushes,toothpaste & floss

*There has recently been a number of very malnourished babies coming out of the southern providence where the drought has been most severe. The Alimantum and/or Nutramigen – Enfamil Formula is in dire need to save these babies.*

Ava's Drawing

Ava got the "Magical Friendship Garden" book at Easter, it talks about a family that adopts a little girl from Ethiopia and how all families come together different ways through adoption and how they are all still beautiful and full of LOVE. In the back it asks you to draw a picture of your family.

ONE MONTH UNTIL COURT!!!

Only 1 month until court!I am asking all our families and friends to PLEASE continue to pray that our court date will be successful on May 20th. I thought waiting 12 weeks from referral to court date would take FOREVER!! but it is coming fast, thank goodness!!!
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15

Painting!and Shots!

I had FIVE shots on Wednesday and got 3 prescriptions for traveling(seems like overkill to me) and had already planned on painting G*** room this weekend. Yes, I am nuts. So after 5 gallons of paint, 3 shades of pink and green, I think I got it perfect and GUESS WHAT!? It is almost exactly the colors of Ava's room. I am truly mental. It has been a big deal, since it was going to be purple and Ava got upset because she wanted a purple room too. So, I decided, Who cares? G** hasn't had a pink room yet so we will do it PINK. I feel like I am writing sequel to Pinkalious or Purplelious. It is true, pink is powerful!LOL So anyway, Mike said anymore pink or girls and he is getting a Harley and visiting every 6 months.I will post some pics of her room later, it is not quite done and of course I want it perfect!

Hello,
Well, we only have 5 more weeks until court.LOL but it should go fast. Ava & I have an appointment tomorrow with an international travel doctor to start getting our shots. She really hates going to the doctor for ANYTHING!!So I told her if she does good I will take her to the new Hannah Montana Movie. I keep telling her she needs to be brave since she is going to be a big sister and will have to set a good example.Sounds like the chicken pox are going around the Transition Home where G*** is please pray she doesn't get it or at least has a very mild case. Poor baby, it is so hard not to be able to take care of her yet. I am going to start painting her room this weekend and then probably get to Ava's next weekend. There is the largest travel group in Ethiopia right now from our adoption agency and a couple of them are going to take some pictures for us. Can't wait to see her again.

Tenative Travel Dates!!!

Hi all,
We received our tenative travel dates to pick up our daughter. We are to be in Ethiopia by Sunday June 6th and will be there until approximately Sat June 13th. This our course, depends on us passing court on May 20th!!PLEASE PRAY that we will have a successful court date and all post court paperwork will go smoothly.

March update from America World

We received an update WEdnesday on our little girl from AWAA. She is doing well and has gained 1 pound since she got to the Transition Home. Every little bit of information and new picture is a gift from God. I will treasure all these pictures for her. They will be the history we have on her. Another family leaving on the 11th of April has agreed to take some more pictures of her. So will keep getting up to date info on her. AWESOME!!Well folks, it may be a while before I write. WE have opening night for Beauty and the Beast tonight. Ava has 5 show this weekend and 6 next weekend.Crazy!!She is soo tired and so am I. We will be hosting Easter this year. We love having Easter. It is the best celebration. Jesus died for us and ROSE again!Amen!

New Pictures!

We got some new pictures from the Hall family today. G** received her care package from us and got to see pictures of her family and home. She also got her pink blankie. Steph Hall said she was really shy and couldnt understand why she was getting things; like were they really hers?She looks so healthy and loved at the TH home. I can't believe it is still going to be over 2 months until we can get her. The pictures the families are taking for us mean sooo much. Words cannot describe this feeling of TOTAL LOVE that I have for this child. I mean, sometimes I can't believe God is blessing us with another child. I love her so much already. My heart is overwhelmed. Thank you Halls!!!

2nd Care Package on its Way!!!

I sent of a 2nd care package to the Howley family who are leaving next week. They have been waiting to pass court and travel for over 6mos!!We will be praying for their travel and the rest of the families leaving next week to be united with their children.We sent G*** a pretty little princess purse,a couple of Ava's My pretty ponies, 2 outfits(I hope they fit),some fancy sunglasses and a few barettes, hopefully she her hair is getting long enough to wear them.Emily Howley promised to take lots of pics and love her for us.Thanks Emily!!

Posts from my YG Group.

I AM SO SORRY FOR YOU MAY FAMILIES!!! i was expecting you guys to get moved
up, and i can't imagine your disappointment!
> > jaime d.
I echo Jaime. I AM SO SORRY that this is the news you received on your May
court dates. It makes no sense!
>
> This morning I was thinking how our adoption journeys are such a picture of so
many other aspects of our life - where things don't make sense, where we get
passed by, where we wish God had planned it to happen differently. And yet He
has given each of us a UNIQUE journey in both adoption and in life.
>
> It's kind of overwhelming to think of how mindful He is of me, to plan this
journey, this adoption, this life JUST for me - in a way that He knows will
bring most glory to Him and teach ME most about WHO He is.
> He has carefully weighed and measured the pain that would come with it and has
determined that the good far out weighs the pain. It really humbles me and
makes me feel loved by Him!
>
> Hold tight and know that I understand your disappointment. I am praying for
each of you.
>
> Blessings - Sherry :)
A few years back the Lord was asking me to go through something that really made
no sense to my human thinking. As I was complaining to the Lord that I just
didn't get it, and how could He get glory from this because it "doesn't make
sense", He took me on a tour of the Bible.

1)It didn't make sense for Noah to build a boat when there had never been rain.
2)It didn't make sense for Joseph to get thrown in a pit, sold to Egypt, thrown
in prison etc.
3)It didn't make sense for the Israelites to wear themselves out marching around
Jericho day after day when they had a battle to fight!
4)It didn't make sense for God to use a murderer of Christians to spread the
gospel to the gentiles!

It's so easy for me to trust God when things make sense, and yet He gets so much
glory if I trust Him when they don't!

Thanks for your beautiful reminder Sherry!!

:-)
Renee'

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

Romans 5:3-4

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,beacuse we know that suffering produces perserverance; perserverance,character; and character, hope.

Court Date Will NOT Change!

We got an email today stating that after numerous appeals our court date will remain May 20th, 2009 with no chance at an earlier date. I am heartbroken to have to wait and I feel that I shouldn't be but I am.We will just have to wait one more month to go and get her.PLEASE pray for our family to have peace and be patient. This adoption is God's plan and we are on a crazy wonderful ride and have to wait on HIS timetable. This will all make sense someday.I am trying really hard not to have a pity party.God is still working on us and needs to teach us more in this time.

TEPIC, MEXICO

While Ava and I visited my folks in Arizona, Mike got an opportunity to go to Tepic Mexico on a mission trip with our Church. They helped build a church in a small community that is trying to plant a church in a very needed area. They visited an orphanage and got to witness to many people. A number of people gave their lives to Christ. Praise God!The trip was a success and our church is planning to continue to help with the needs of this community.Pray for this new church and the people there that they will be able to continue learning about God's love and that their church will GROW!!!

ARIZONA

Ava & I just returned from visiting Grandpa and Grandma in Sun City Arizona. We got to visit the Grand Canyon. What an AWESOME sight that is. We hung out, visited,went to flea markets, swam and ate.Ava and I took the golf cart to Starbucks for coffee and donuts almost every morning.We also got to visit with Aunt Ardith who was back from the Philippines.It was very relaxing and nice and warm. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!We didn't want to come back to the cold and snow.

Romans 8:24-25

"For in this hope we were saved.But hope that is seen is no hope at all.Who hopes for what he already has?But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Court Date!!!!

We have a May 20th court date!!YEAH!!!!!!!!!At the same time we got an email from our Ethiopian coordinator that the MOWA(Ministry of Women's Affairs) has agreed to open up additional court appointment dates so we have a chance of getting an earlier court date.Thank you for all the prayers. PLEASE keep praying that the Ethiopian government will have mercy on all our cases so these children can be united with their forever families as quickly as possible. I am very excited and trying to remember this adoption is in God's hands and this is HIS plan for our family. So we are on HIS timetable.God Bless

Psalm 126:3

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Care Package on its way!

We sent a care package to G**** with the Hall family. They were so wonderful to offer to bring some things to her. We sent her an album with our family pictures in it so she can maybe start to recognize us, a super soft blankie, a prayer book for children, a little dolly and couple of Ava's little dresses from when she was 2. I just can't believe she is that little, when I pulled out Ava's stuff that was 2T, I can't imagine her in them. I happen be able to talk to a lovely lady Kelly B. who just returned last week from picking up her daughter, I emailed her and asked her if she happen to see our little girl. She said she did and that she is soo little/petite, seemed very happy and easy going and was STUNNING! The information that we are getting and the families that are traveling before us that are going to love on our daughter are these AMAZING blessings that are truly a lifeline in this unbelievable journey. I only have a couple pictures of her and I just stare trying to take in every detail. Last night I finally had my break down and just cried and cried. I am soo happy!! I cannot believe God deems us worthy enough to give us this special gift. I mean, Who are we that we deserve this?As the Hall and Black families travel and bring us more pictures and information we will be fervently praying for their safe and exciting journey to there own children. My only way to repay this debt is that we will someday be traveling and able to bless another family the way these families are blessing us.I am so full of Joy right now.

WE GOT OUR REFERRAL!!!

Today we got a referral of a 2 year girl.I cannot share anymore details with you until we pass court.But she is BEAUTIFUL!!!I can't take my eyes off of her photo.It was a perfect day, Ava had a late start at school and she got to be here when we got the call and the photos of her.She said and I quote"I KNEW God could do it!!" and then she said "maybe this is our valentine from HIM."It feels surreal.Our next step is to secure a court date before we can LEGALLY claim her and right now they are passing out court dates approx end of April and after we pass court THEN we travel to get her within 2-3 weeks.

Beauty & The Beast Rehearsals Have Begun

Hello All!! Our quiet and relaxing winter has come to an abrupt halt. Ava started a new play Disney's Beauty and The Beast. Rehearsals are going to be 3-5 nights a week and I am one of the producers(1st time producing)YIKES!!!I even recuited Mike to help with set building.The next two months are going to go fast which should help us as we are just at the end of our waiting for referral.We are sooo close. I saw a picture today of a little girl from Ethiopia in our paper and I could hardly take my eyes off of her. Is this what she will look like?Some days the wait is truly painful.I told my husband we are probably going to adopt again and he said start NOW! A lot of parents say adopting is addicting. We will see.

Home Study Update

We had our home study update for hopefully the last time on Tuesday night.After much prayer and thought we upped our age to 4 years old. This has been a hard decision and a great leap of faith that God will give us the PERFECT child for us. When we started this process Ava was only 4 and by the time we travel and are home with our new child Ava will be ALMOST 7. I woke up early on Wednesday morning and felt such a strong desire to read my bible and the book I have next to it is some of God's promises in the bible and after I prayed for peace and more faith in this whole decision I opened the book and my eyes literally went to a section on God's Faithfulness, Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hope unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." I couldn't believe it. Once again God gives you answers and reassurances when you look to Him for them. I am blindly letting the Lord lead me to this child for I need to have faith that while we can not see what our future or this child's future holds that God's plan will be perfected in our lives as long as we are letting Him lead us. I'll finish posting with one more verse Psalm 9:10 "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Craguns 2009

Hello, We just got back from a great weekend with family at Craguns in Branierd Minnesota, This is our 4th year and it keeps getting better. The kids Swam and Swam and Swam. WE got in lots of visiting and catching up. Thank you to all for a great weekend and I am so grateful to my family for their interest in our adoption,the support and prayers.I love you all. Thank you. Next year there will be at least one more. Enjoy the photos.

Happy NEWS!!!

10!!!yes I said 10 America World families have received referrals in January already. This is so incredible. We are praying they keep coming. The next infant girl referral is a March DTE(Dossier to Ethiopia) and we are May. It is getting closer.

Isaiah 43:5-6

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth -

Infant Girl Referral Times Increase!

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this as we have found out recently that the infant girl referral time has increased from 7-9 months to 9-11 months. It is heart breaking to say the least. These times are when my faith in God deepens as I tend to depend on Him even more as I look for comfort. My ache to become a mother has been a struggle for a long time, ever since I was little that was all I ever wanted to be, I believe these deepest desires are the things that God uses to bring you closer to Him and rely soley on Him. I cant say I am not mad right know but I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him... Our adoption journey started long long ago in our hearts, that longing that God has a great plan for our lives, we just need to continue to trust in Him and know he has plans to prosper us. This is my faith journey. I'm glad I finally have started to journal it. My greatest hope is that my children know and love God but also know how truly incredibly WANTED they were no matter how they came into our lives. Please continue to pray for our family and others that wait for their children to be brought home.

Christmas Praises!!

3 America World Families received baby boy referrals this last week. We are praising God with these families for the BEST Christmas gifts a waiting family can receive. We will be having our monthly conference call next week with our Ethiopian Coordinator and the rumor has it that the infant girl referrals will be taking longer there are a number of families well into there 9th months of waiting. Join us in praying for God's grace and patience in this tough time for these families and ours. We waited for 7 months in the El Salvador program and are close to another 7 months in the Ethiopian program. Many families have had even longer journies than ours. Please pray for us that we can wait for God's timing for our family. Ava prays EVERY night for God to pleeeeease bring Paetyn(our name as of now) to us soon. I have tried to explain to her that God has it all planned out and we just need to be patient. NOT easy for a 6 year old.

Merry Christmas from the Gagnons!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

For unto you a Child is born ...

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!
This is a drawing Ava did yesterday and it was soo good I decided to share it!

Tis the Season...

This photo was taken when we went and saw the play "Peef the Christmas Bear"

I love this time of year, the house is all decorated and my shopping is done. Ava has only 1 weekend left of performances in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever."She is a STAR!!!We finished up this last weekend with 5 performances and only 6 more to go. Our USCIS (Dept of Homeland Security) approval needs to be extended as it is only good for 18 months and our time is up in February 2009. Sooo.. we need to extend it for another 18 months. Here is the kicker our Home Study is up in April and that will have to be updated starting in March of 2009, we very well could get our referral by Feb and travel by first part of April HOWEVER in order to adopt our child once we are back in Minnesota we have to have a valid home study. UGH!!! This will be our second update! Oh Well.
All in God's timing. I have to keep reminding myself of that. It's soo hard to be patient.

Hello Everyone!!
My first attempt at blogging. We are currently 6 months into our 7-9 month referral wait. We are requesting a girl age 0-4 years old from Ethiopia. We originally were going to adopt through the country of El Salvador but the government all but shut down adoptions. Our agency gave us the opportunity to switch countries and we did immediately. Our church was doing the "Pray BIG" series and Ava (my daughter) and I were praying every night to bring her a baby sister soon so we changed our prayer to by Christmas of this year. We are very close and only God knows the perfect timing in adding to our family. We are waiting patiently for HIS timing. GOD IS GOOD!!