Mercy's debut at WCA

This week we were invited to Wake Christian Academy to share about Ethiopia. The thrid grade students there are reading abook that takes placei n Ethiopia, called Escpae. It was a lot of fun, and of course Mercy LOVED all of the oohs and ahhhs that the kids gave her. She was definitely the center of attention. However, it was so much fun to share our story of God's faithfulness to these little kids. Elijah and Jadon even shared about their "sissy." Even as i thought about what i wanted to tell the third graders before we went to their class, my heart was so full. It was a neat chance to look in the eyes of children and tell them about Jesus, adoption, and people on the other end of the earth who need to hear about Jesus!
I cry every time I get a chance to talk about God's clear work of grace that we have had the amazing privilege to see (not only in this adoption, but in so many other areas of our lives). My heart comes out of my eyes. Tears of thankfulness that words could never do justice. Tears of joy that Mercy is here and healthy! Tears remembering the past few years that God has given us all three of our chidren each with their own divinly crafted story. Tears reminding me how often in the adoption process i have doubted God- not that he could do it, but if he would actually do it- why did I ever doubt? Tears of longing that He would do more through our little family to make God's name great and hallowed in this city, in the lives of the fatherless, and to the ends of the earth. Tears as I picture many more orphans laying in their beds in crowed rooms all over this world. Tears of deep thankfulness of my adoption into God's family and that I am no longer an orphan but a child. My heart just comes out of my eyes every time and I am overcome with so many different emotions all at once. The bottom line after all of the tears dry up is a deeper thankfulness for Jesus and a heart more given to prayer.



Here's a picture of Betty in her pretty Ethiopian dress.


Mrs. Ritter's thrid grade class.


May God give us even more opportunities to speak of His goodness!

Did he really just say that??

Today reminded me once again that the things that happen in home school would never happen in public school.... (i will not mention exact names to protect my children...ha). Here's what happened-

As we are setting doing math my child says, "Hey mom, will you go throw away my booger so i can finish this math problem."

Yep... the calling of motherhood is a high calling!

Striving to do ALL things for the glory of God.
dana

This "no no" was too good to pass up...

I had to post this-

Here's the setting:
This morning...The boys are playing quietly upstairs (a rarity, especially this morning). I just unloaded the dryer to fold a load of laundry. Mercy was with me, so i thought. I said, "Mercy!" I began looking for her. I could hear her, i just could not see her. I looked in all of her typical hiding places- the shower, the closet, behind the door... still i did not see her. I could hear her but could not find her. Then i walked into the laundry room and saw this...


the initial "I've been caught look"


the "mommy thinks i am clever" look

These pictures will just get filed away on my computer in my "Naughty Betty" file. She is always doing something!

Pirate Princess

"mommy wants me to be a princess... but i want to be a pirate!!"

Today, in my attempt to make Mercy girly by putting on a princess dress, I turn my back for one minute and she has found a pirate hat! This girl is one of a kind!

some thoughts... on adoption, of course.

Here's my three blessings. I cannot tell you how often I look at each of these kids and feel so honored to be thri mom. Yes, they all have their share of "issues" (but SO DO I!!!!), however, each of them share their own amazing story of how God brought them into our lives (both biologically and by adoption).

The adoption bug has hit the Cordell home again- it has for some time, actually. My husband was ready long before i was. Honestly, our adoption process for Mercy was anything but easy. We had hurdles from the beginning- but that will be the case for anything that is worth having. It will cost you... (and i am not referring to finances). It has taken me about a year to be ready to do it again.

Many people ask us if we want to adopt again and i always respond, "Yes!" But our question now is, "When?" Some days i am ready to jump on a plane and go across the ocean to bring another baby home. Other days I feel like i may melt-down with the three that I have. So, we are in the process of praying, and searching out WHEN God would have us start the process. The burden is there, for sure... but now we wait on the Lord and ask for His wisdom. However, it often feels like i carry around a weight with me that is hard to explain. It is the heavy burden and the weight of what we saw in Ethiopia. Not a day goes by that I do not think about our trip, or I smell something that reminds me of Ethiopia, or I think about what time it is in Ethiopia, etc. The memories of Ethiopia will forever be on my heart. Each day as I lay Mercy in her bed i tell her what God has done for her. Every night i say Psalm 103 as a blessing over her little life... May you bless the Lord, Mercy. WIth all that is within you may you bless His holy name...forgetting not all his benefits. Who can forgive all your sin, who has healed all your diseases, who redeemed your life from the pit and crowned you with love and compassion, who can satisfy your desires with good things! Every day we remember what God has done. Every day we stand amazed at His power. Everyday, we remember Ethiopia.

I wanted to share something that i wrote to a new friend who is beginning the adoption process. She has a lot of questions (like we all do!). I think one year ago i would have written something different than what i wrote to her, but after a year of processing "adoption" this is what i wrote. (It was more for me than her, I am sure...)

You know, we do not adopt because it is easy- we do it because it is right. We do not adopt so that a child to love us- we do it because we love Jesus more than anything. We do not adopt simply because there is a need (meaning, there is a need, but that cannot be our only motivation)- we do it to because we are convinced that this is what pure and undefiled religion is in God's eyes. We do it because Christ did it for us. It is a picture of His gospel and those who are led by God to adopt a child will get the benefit of seeing this gospel in a clear and practical way. They will see what it means to love someone who you cannot see. They will see what it means to do whatever it takes to bring their child home. They will see how a family is not made up of those who look the same or share the same story- it is those who are called by God.


Adoption is a multi-faceted miracle. It is hard... but it is good. I am excited that we will do it again...now, just when??

Mercy's Gotcha Day Party!

I have been so incredibly busy I have not had time to post these sweet pictures from Mercy's Gotcha day party! Having a party for Mercy was something that i had wanted to do for some time. Originally I thought that we would celebrate last year when we got home (a big welcome home party), but there is no way in the world that i was ready for that. There was a lot of post-adoption emotions i was having to work through. SO now that a year has passed we decided to have a "Big Betty Bash!" It was so much fun. Here are some pictures...

Mercy's shirt..."Everyone loves and Ethiopian Girl" (So true!)

This was my first attempt at cooking Ethiopian food. We had yellow peas, red lentils, doro wat, and kay wat (beef) all on injera, of course. Knowing confession is good for the soul, i must be honest... i thought it was kind of gross. After smelling it cook for a week I had a hard time eating it. And the injera...well...


Here's some of the people who came to celebrate with us! We had over 80 people!


This was the cake... yum-o!


And last but not least, here's the movie star. (She truly is a drama queen!)


God has been so faithful and good to us and it is times like these that we must not let slip by without giving Him proper honor. It gives him glory when we meditate on His work of grace in our lives. And, it is good to be baffled by God! I often think "I cannot believe God has done all of this!!" Just thinking of His kindness to our family is overwhelming- kindness in giving us both joy and suffering. Each day as we look at Mercy we are reminded of all God has accomplished. It has been different than we would have thought- but it has been better than we could have imagined. I cannot believe it has been a year since i first saw that little brown eyed miracle in Ethiopia... we had no idea what a gift we had just received. Thank you Jesus, once again.

its just instinct...

Mercy's new favorite thing to do...

This must be what i look like... too funny! I just had to share this!

She's officially ours!

We received our official adoption decree today from the Superior Court and it had the most wonderful words...

"From the date of entry of this Decree herein, the said minor is declared ADOPTED FOR LIFE... and that said child shall henceforth be known by the name of MERCY BETHLEHEM CORDELL..."

Okay, we all did a dance when we read that- even Mercy! She just sat in her little seat and waved her arms! We all jumped around and rejoiced! Elijah said, "This has been the best day I've ever had... our baby sissy is ours forever!" Amen, son!

Adoption is a miracle... today i was reminded once again of how remarkable our God is. She is ours... adopted for life...never an orphan again!

This is what i saw when i walked in the kitchen yesterday...

Just trying to get a snack i guess?
This girl always keeps us on our toes!

Thank you, Jesus for what I do not have.

Here's something that i found myself journaling tonight and i wanted to post it because we all can lose perseptive after a long hard day. I hope my transparency here helps many of you see you are not alone and you are actually better off than you thought.

Thank you, Jesus for what I do not have.

I do not have a clean home with laundry put away. I do not have washed dishes, clean bathtubs, or clean sheets on the bunk beds. I do not have clean floors, in fact they are looking pretty bad after dinner tonight! I do not have extra cash at the end of the month. I do not have much free time to run errands. I do not have a daily schedule that goes as I have planned. I do not have moments of boredom during my day wondering what I should do with my time. I do not have perfect children who respond to my voice immediately and obey me completely. I do not have a husband who can be at home as much as I would desire for him to be. I do not have my extended family living nearby. I do not have so many things… and today I see my ‘have-nots” as blessings from Your hand. They are your design for me.

For all of my “have-nots” I could write volumes of what I do have. All that I have is a gift of grace, totally underserved and free, because it comes from my Father who is all sufficient and sovereign . He doesn’t ever slack off in giving good gifts to me- oh that I may have eyes to see them. My home is dirty because of 3 little ones that run full speed through the halls of the house day after day. They are each miracles. Elijah’s quick wit, his ability to make or build anything, his tender heart, and contagious joy and laughter at the most random of things… this is a gift. Jadon’s love for his mama, joy in simple things in life like juice, army men, basketball, his blanket or trees outside his window, and his mischievous personality that keeps me on my toes….another gift. Mercy’s dark little eyes that light up when mama walks in the room, her slobbery kisses, her little bottom raised up in the air and knees tucked under her when she is in a deep sleep, and her constant happiness and endless chatter. She reminds me everyday (literally) that God is a saving and sovereign God. Her bedroom used to be perfectly clean and yet sadly empty… now it is a mess b/c she has a home and a place to grow and thrive. Messy rooms fill up my home, but it is because God has given us these wonderful mess-makers, known as my 3 precious children.
Free time or moments of boredom... well, If I did have these they would end up being more of a curse than a blessing because knowing my wayward heart I would be idle. Extra cash… who needs it. God supplies all that we have richly. I would rather budget every penny than forget God is my provider. Daily schedule going as planned… would not be a gift to me all of the time because I would miss out on the divine opportunities God gives me. I would end up becoming much to self-reliant. Obedient children… it would be nice, but I am not an obedient child either. God has so much patience with me, and it is a gift that I can extend patient endurance to my children. Though Sean works a lot these days I am so grateful that He has a job in this troubled economy. And not only that but his job wonderful b/c He is shepherding an amazing group of people called Treasuring Christ Church- wonderful people that I can call my family! And while I would love to have my extended family live nearby, I would much rather be living here in the inner city of Raleigh, NC where God has planted us. In reality, It’s never been a sacrifice.

So thank You Jesus for all that I do not have because it highlights all you have given me. I have more than I deserve. Every day is a gift of grace and designed by my Faithful High priest who knows exactly what I need. I have more than I ever dreamed! Tune my heart to sing your praise and not grumble my day away!

Easter traditions... and pictures, of course.

we went to TN last week and I SAW THE MOUNTAINS!!!! I cannot describe how much i miss seeing the mountains. The view from my home in TN is breathtaking. I cannot believe the view i used to look at every morning waiting for the school bus... I had no idea how amazing it was. The older I get the more i appreciate it... and i am always reminded of the promise "As the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forever more." Psalm 125:2
However, i was ready to get back to our "hood" here in big Raleigh, NC!!!

I wanted to share a link to our church's women's blog. There are some ideas on it for making the most of your Easter. I wrote a post on our Easter traditions- you will find it on "Preparing for Easter: The Cordell Home." I hope it spurs you on to make the most of every opportunity to share the glories of Calvary with your children. It has been so precious this year, so far. Every year they seem to understand more... it is so wonderful! So click on the link and read about the Easter Box!

Here's the link to the TCC Ladies blog! Enjoy!
http://treasuredfemininity.wordpress.com/

Some pictures of my home in TN and our kids!

March 24... oh the memories

Last year on MArch the 24 we began the day as usual. Breakfast...home school...and then at 10 AM my telephone rang. On the caller ID I saw the name "AMERICA WORLD ADOPTION ASSOCIATION" come across. I had wanted to see that name for months! My heart was pounding. I answered the phone as fast as i could. Duni Zenyae from our agency said, "Dana! It's Duni. Well, this is the call you have been waiting for!" I screamed! It was referral day!!!!!! Duni began to tell us that she had a referral of a baby girl for us. I had assumed that our baby girl would be about 1 year old...but much to my surprise Duni said, "We have a baby girl for you. She is 5 weeks old..." At that moment i cannot put into words what was happening in my heart. Up to that point God had given me many things, but the gift of a 5 week old baby girl was extraordinary. God had just given me the gift of time... time with my baby girl that i assumed was lost. Duni began to tell us her story and I quickly began to understand how amazing it was that this little one, sick, malnourished and left on the streets of Addis Ababa, was chosen and given to our family. Adoption is another one of God's ways of showing how amazing he is. God worked out every detail! March 24... I will never forget that day.

After my conversation with Duni she said she would send us the police report, the medical reports and some photos of our baby girl. Sean and I were most nervous about this part. Though I would love to say we did not care what she looked like, deep down we really did. When you are preganat you do not think as much about it b/c you know that the baby will be a blend of you and your hubby (which can be both a good thing or a bad thing..ha). With international adoption you just have no idea what the baby will look like. We got the email and we all gathered around the computer. At this point my stomach was sick... what would she look like? The picture was HUGE, so when we opened it her forhead was GIGANTIC. We were nervous. Once we opned the file in another window we saw her little face. And from that moment on life was never the same. You have heard of love at first sight... well, i have expereinced it first hand.

I sat and cried, and stared at her picture for an hour (a typical reaction for me). The boys said, "aw, she is so cute" and then went on to play (a typical reaction for them). My husband, had that smirk on his face that I know all too well. It was like he had just been given a million dollars. He statrted prinitng her picture, i think he made 7, 8x10's, and put them all around our house. I was not surprised by his reaction at all. We called our parents, siblings, and close friends. We finally had a face to look at. And, oh my, she was SO worth the wait!

So here we are a year later. I am trying to blog as Mercy runs around the house getting into EVERYTHING. She is a feisty little thing. But I love that about her. She has come a long way in a year. I thought it was apropriate to close this blog with a picture of Mercy in her ballerina skirt (Made by Grandma and Aunt Anne). Just to think a year ago she was an orphan and now she is, as the boys say, "Princess Pretty-Pretty!"

Thankful to Jesus for all he has accomplished in her little life!

Adoption IS the gospel

My husband has recently been challenging our church to be not just internal but external with the gospel- to share the glories of the gospel with the people God has placed in our lives. As he preaches these things my heart is quickened because it is the gospel that changes lives- the gospel changed me! Because of grace so amazing the Gospel should be ready and on our tongues!
Thankfully, as a stay-at-home mom, I have daily opportunities to share the gospel with my children. However, recently I have been challenged to branch outside the four walls of my home with the good news… not easy for me. Not only do my fears of rejection stand in the way, but when do I ever have a chance to talk with someone without three kids holding on my leg or wrestling each other to the ground? I really felt like there would have to be DIVINE OPPORTUNITY if I was to be able to share the gospel with anyone.
As we were eating lunch on our back porch a few weeks ago I saw a family who lives in the apartments behind our home who I had never seen before. There was a mom and her son playing in the backyard (a rare thing here in the inner city…sadly). The little boy made his way to the fence to talk to my boys. Elijah was excited and ran over to me asking if he could come into our yard to play. Of course I said yes. The boy’s mom came to meet me (another rare thing in the inner city). She was a young, single parent who was home schooling her son (Another rare thing in the inner city). We had many common interests and began to strike up a conversation very naturally. I began to ask her about her faith. She said she respected all religions and would say she is open-minded. She said her focus was on love. She told me she had attended several services at the Unitarian universalist church downtown and really enjoyed it. As we talked I shared with her what I knew to be true- Jesus, his sinless life, his death and resurrection, his claims of being God and the only way for salvation. She listened and nodded her head the whole time (however, I was not surprised b/c she said she saw truth in all religions). Our conversation was so natural- we went from talking about Jesus to Trader Joes to home school and back to Jesus again. It was really neat. Then she began to ask me about why we had adopted Mercy. This opened up a whole new avenue for the gospel that I had not really ever thought about using when I share my faith.
I often tell people my reasons for adoption, and it is shot through with gospel-truth. But God gave me special grace that afternoon to “say it in a new way.” I just simply told her our story of adopting Mercy and said “it is so much like what God did for me.” I told her how we had to leave our home to go and get our daughter…and how Jesus left his throne in heaven to come and gather his children to Himself. I told her how Mercy was sick and frail… and how that is exactly how I was in my sin- helpless and sick, needing a Savior. I told her that it shows me Jesus’ grace every time I look at her chubby brown face and big brown eyes I am reminded that she looks nothing like me… and we looked nothing like Jesus when he came to rescue us. Yet, I told her that in some strange way Mercy looks like Jadon… and this reminds me that God had chosen her to be ours from before her birth. God had a special plan for Mercy. He brought someone who was from a different race, background, one who was sick, one who had nothing (not even a last name) and through his abundant provision and goodness he brought her to us. Now she has a home, a family, a name… a new name (just like God did for me). I told her that the love I have for my baby girl is so deep- as if I carried her 9 months and gave birth to her. This is another resemblance of what Christ did for us- loving us, who were not his children, and calling us His children. I told her that now Mercy has everything that we have. She had nothing and now she has everything she needs… another picture of what Christ has done for us.
My neighbor looked at me and was almost speechless. “That is beautiful, “ she said. “That is the gospel of Jesus, “ I said. “Isn’t it amazing!” Our conversation continued on a bit more and she was definitely intrigued, but not ready to embrace Jesus’ truth as the only truth. I hope to talk with her again soon…

Opportunities to share the good news are available to us more than we realize. And God loves to use everyday and ordinary conversations to be a platform for the gospel. Be on the lookout… He may do it through you this week!

Elijah's birthday

For Elijah's seventh birthday he wanted a spy party. We had a great time- a scavenger hunt all around our neighborhood with clues. The kids had seven different stations and challenges. Elijah is already saying he wants another spy party... i told him to forget it. I used up all of my good ideas. And we have had 3 birthday parties in 9 weeks. Momma needs a break!!! But, it really has been fun. I cannot believe that he is 7! He is growing up too quickly, or so it seems.
Elijah has always been a reminder to me of the power of God. After years of trying to conceive we were told we could not have a baby and then... well... hello Elijah! God had other plans, obviously! And now, the little boy that i first held in my arms just 7 years ago, born in a snow storm in MN, is so tall he comes up to my shoulders. God has been so good to us. We are praying that this year is a great year for Elijah and that as he grows and matures he will grow in love for Jesus. He is such a gift to our family! Enjoy these pictures...

Here's the kids in their spy shirts

my personal favorite...

Mercy, well, as you can see she is always a good time! She is the happiest baby I have ever seen. This picture just shows how much fun she is! She loves the disguise glasses that the big kids got at the party. She does not let us put them on her face very often, but she will take them and put them over her head and carry them behind her neck. It is way too funny. And that girl loves to talk- a true girl, huh! She chatters all day in her sweet raspy voice. We love her so much... i knew adopting her would be wonderful I just had no idea it would be THIS wonderful! It is hard to remember life without her.



Blogging is hard to come by these days, but i will do my best to post pictures and updates. Blessings to you all!

Mercy is ONE!!!

Today is Mercy Beth’s birthday (we call her “Birthday Betty”…betty is a nickname from Ethiopia that kind of stuck!). I have known for some time that today would be emotional for me to say the least. It has actually been emotional for me all week… Considereing one of the biggest question marks in her life happened a year ago- we know she was born around this time past year but all of the other details are unknown. As her God-given mother my heart feels heavy today in many different ways. Mainly I am humbled and thankful at God’s saving grace- taking this little one who was so sickly, frail, timid, and bringing her to us. She has turned into this full-energy, healthy, walking and talking baby girl who ALWAYS has a smile on her face. She gives us so much JOY!!!
I finished a book for her a few weeks ago and we are giving it to her today, her first birthday. It begins by telling her how God had put her on our heart years ago, at the first of our marriage. It is our journey that becomes her journey… I am so happy with the book and pray that it is something that she treasures for the rest of her life.
Today I am also thinking about her birth-mother. I am grateful to God that she brought our precious daughter into this world. I know that if she is still living (for she was most likely very sick) that she remembers around this time last year she had a baby girl. I know that the decision to give her baby up must have been the most painful decision she ever made- I cannot imagine her grief. However, this strange feeling of grief mingled with joy is in my heart- Mercy is ours now. She is finally at her God-appointed home with her family. And anyone can tell you- she is one of us through and through!!!

So today I post with a very FULL heart. I cannot thank God enough for this little milk-chocolate, curly-headed, bundle of joy. We knew adoption would be amazing but we had no idea it would be THIS amazing!!!

So happy birthday Mercy girl! You are your mama’s precious baby girl! You are wonderful ONE!!!!

You've come a long way, baby!!!!!

Jadon's deep thought to help out his mama.

On Saturday morning I was feeling really weak in my faith! Things just seemed to be hitting me really hard and i was feeling weak in trusting God and casting my burdens on him. As I was sitting with Jadon on my lap the thought occurred to me that Jesus says for us to have faith like children. So i thought, "I am going to ask Jadon what he believes about God..." :)

I said, "Sweetie, do you believe God can do anything?"
"Oh, yes Mama!"
"Do you believe God is powerful."
Yes! Mama, God is SOOO Powerful!"
"Jadon, tell Mama how powerful you think God is. What can God do?"

Jadon thought for a minute. He began to look around the room. There was a polka dotted picture frame on the wall. Jadon locked eyes on the frame and then passionately said, "MAMA! Do you see that picture frame over there? Well, God can make that picture frame have STRIPES!!!!!"

I tired not to laugh but I did smile really big... I said, "Jadon you are right! God can really do anything!"

Jadon sat there with a huge look of accomplishment on his face (It was so cute). He said, "Mama, I am glad that i could help you."

In all reality, they do teach me so much every day.
Thank you Jesus for children!

Jadon's Birthday party

Jadon wanted a cowboy party for his 5th birthday. I must say, it was one of the most fun parties we have had, and that's not just because i was born in the hills of TN and it is second nature to be a country-bumpkin! It was fun to watch the kids play games and try to lasso their horses. They were invited to the party on a mission. Black-eyed Gus, the town criminal, had stolen all of the gold from Cordell holler and their mission was to get the gold back. Sean, of course, was black-eyed Gus. At the end of the party he came down the steps with his bags of gold, "hootin' and a hollerin' " The kids roped him up and they all got their picture made for the town newspaper (See the picture below...) It was so much fun. I wanted to share it with you all. Enjoy the pictures.

Family night at the Cordell home

I wanted to share some ideas and get some ideas from my bloggy-buddies. Our most favorite Cordell family tradition is our family nights! Every Thursday is Cordell Family night from dinner time to bed time. We ALL look forward to family night, every week!!!! In our home family night can only be cancelled or postponed by a family vote- everyone over the age of 2. Here’s some of the things we have done:

Game night
Movie night
Charades- my kids make me laugh really hard with this one!
Scavenger hunt night- have lists of things to find around the house and give a time limit. Whoever gets back first with all the items wins. The next round is clean up- whoever cleans up first (and does it well…) wins.
Go to Starbucks and play board games, our boy’s personal fav!
Put on your PJ’s and go to Krispy Kreme for a donut run- probably their second favorite!
Fondue night (mostly just for dessert- melt chocolate and dip away!)
Indoor camping night (set up a tent in living room and pretend you are camping). On this night i make smores in the oven or let them roast marshmallows with our kabob skewers over the grill.
Serve your neighbors night- find a way to serve someone in your neighborhood as a family or just visit . This has been good to do with some widows in our neighborhood. Teaches the kids that family night can be fun when we focus on serving as a family.
Read a book as a family- our kids love Chronicles of Narnia and could listen to daddy read forever.
Family sing-along- grab an instrument (everyone, even the babies…) and make some joyful NOISE!
My personal favorite: Question night. We ask the tons of silly questions and everyone has to answer. Here's a list of some questions you could ask...

Would you rather be tall like a giant or tiny like an ant?
If you could do any job for one day what would it be?
If you could invent a new flavor of ice cream what would it be?
If you could ask Jesus one question what would it be?
If i could be an animal i would like to be a...
What is the funniest part of your body? (ELijah says it is his rib cage...ha!)
What is your least favorite color?
If you could eat only one thing and drink only one thing for a whole day what would you choose?
The stinkiest thing i can think of is...
What do you love about daddy/mama/brother/sissy, etc?
If you could live during a time in history what would you choose?
I wish i never had to...
What two animals, if you mixed them together, would look the funniest?
If you could be a part of one bible story which one would you choose?

Feel free to share your own ideas!
Blessings!

one more step to get this adoption finalized in NC....

So, you know that after you have a baby you still have contractions for a few weeks while everything is going back to its normal size. Well, adoption and my paper pregnancy and paper birth has those post-labor pains too. It is called MORE PAPER WORK! I can feel the contractions as i type....ugh! Yesterday I went to the clerk of courts and filed all of our paperwork for re-adoption. Yes, you have to re-adopt once you get to the US when you have adopted from Ethiopia because Ethiopia grants you guardianship. Once your child has been here for 90 days you can do the re-adoption paperwork and this will make them a US citizen (according to the clerk court office yesterday). It has taken a few months to get it together. This is just one of those technical blogs intended to help those of you in the process right now. I do not know what i would have done without help from my WONDERFUL and AMAZING friend Rebecca Kepley- who knows EVERYTHING!!!! For those of you in the re-adoption process from NC I wanted to give you a check list of what you need...

DSS 5191- two originals, notarized
DSS 1800- three originals, notarized
DSS 1807- one original (notarized), one copy
original notarized home study (you will not get it back)
original birth certificate of child along with court report and adoption decree (they will ask to see the originals and then given them back to you but will want copies)
$51.00 cash

You can find all of these forms on line.

I am so tired of paperwork.... but its done!!! YEAH!
If anyone needs help let me know!

Jadon's heart felt prayer at breakfast

Its monday. Here's what Jadon prayed this morning as we had devotions at breakfast. "Dear Jesus, Please help mommy forget that we are supposed to do home school today because I really don't want to do it. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."