Hats Off to Christi

Jack's new room was in need of a fresh coat of paint. So I had the idea that I would paint the whole room a neutral color and then add blue horizontal stripes. I knew stripes were a lot of work, and I anticipated extra work. Well, now that I'm finished, I'll say that 3 horizontal stripes will be the extent of my stripe-painting career. Then I recalled the nursery of sweet Charleigh. My sister-in-law, Christi, painted this...

Notice the detail...

Until now, I was guessing that took a LOT of work. Now I know it took A TON OF WORK. So, congratulations to Christi. The Paint Queen of the family.

Theme Dinner: Stranded on a Desert Island by Jon

The Islanders with visitors Ginger and the Professor

On the menu:

Fish (fish tacos)

Assorted grasses and plants (cole slaw & avocado)

Pineapple

Berries

Fruit Relish (Mango salsa & chips)

Worms and Dirt for dessert (chocolate pudding)

And the preparation begins...

It's been a busy week at our house. Jon has finished the Christmas recording sessions. Last night, he was even home for dinner. :) Jack has started violin lessons, so he had his 3rd violin lesson this Thursday followed by Open House at the school. He's waiting so patiently for his teacher to teach him "Rocky Top".

During all the normal busyness, we signed the acceptance papers for these two little boys. We think about them all the time, especially since we have a face and a name to go with these little ones we've been praying for for SO long! Right now, they're Big Z and Little Z, but soon will have American names for their first names and the Z names for the middle names. It's strange to name a child who is already walking around. When naming a baby, you choose your favorite name, and their personality grows into that name. Maybe we'll know it when we see them that first time.

Jack has decided to graciously give the little boys his room with the two twin beds, and he's taking the guest room with the big bed. We've been cleaning out the extra closet, looking for a dresser, and choosing new bedding and paint colors for him. He's picking out his favorite things (books, toys, wall hangings) and moving them over to the new room. We hope to have him acclimated to it around the time we leave for the court date. At least everyone will get something new, not just Z and Z. :)

Speaking of the court date... the courts in Ethiopia close for a summer hiatus every year from August to September. They're scheduled to open back up September 28. As soon as they re-open, they'll schedule all the families that have received referrals during the court recess. As soon as they have it scheduled, we'll book tickets and be ready to go. They key is flexibility, so we've heard. :)

I guess that's all for now. Back to cleaning and painting.

The Post We've All Been Waiting For

We got a referral!!! And in record timing I might add. Our paperwork has been over in Ethiopia for a total of 3 weeks now and so have our boys! Yes, we're getting two boys, ages 2 and 3. Shocked and completely thrilled all at the same time! God, in His sovereign wisdom, placed our paperwork and little boys there at the same time. More to come later about this, and we promise to post pictures as soon as we can. Their names are Zekiyos and Zelalem. We're just guessing at the pronunciations. :) Continue to pray for them and us as we prepare for their arrival sometime around Christmas.

"Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."

Psalm 37:4-6