Made It Home

What an adventure our trip to Ethiopia was!  Earthquake in Awassa?  We were there!  Hospitalize Eyob when we've had him for only one day?  Check!  Sit in a plane on the tarmac for 4 1/2 hours with an engine that won't start before a ten hour journey over Atlantic?  Yep!  Those are some of the dramatic highlights that would probably only happen to someone born into the Ford family.  :-)  Hopefully soon I'll be able to sit and share details about the trip.  For now, here's our first picture as a complete family of seven.  Thanks to everyone who met us at the airport!  What a fun celebration to come home to!

Travel Prayers

We leave tomorrow!  We are just about packed and ready.  My parents will be here tonight and tomorrow off to the airport we go!

If you want to pray us through our trip, we would really appreciate it!  We have some ongoing needs throughout the entire trip - to stay healthy, for my dad's hip to do well with all of the traveling, for E to not be too scared and confused, for Justin to not run into any bumps handling things on this side of the world, for Cade's heart to be impacted in a life changing way by what he will see and experience. 

Here are some specific requests by day:

Tuesday, March 15 - Travel safety for the three of us traveling by air and for my mom and the girls as they hit the road.
Wednesday, March 16 - To enjoy seeing some of London and to be able to find our way around without too much hassle.  For my mom as she wrangles the girls.
Thursday, March 17 - Travel safety as we fly to Addis.  For our luggage to all arrive in Ethiopia. For my mom.
Friday, March 18 - We get to see E again!  Prayers for a joyful reunion and for him to have an understanding of what's about to happen.  For my mom's sanity at this point.
Saturday, March 19 - Travel safety for us as we travel south to see where E is from and for my mom, Justin, and the girls as they meet halfway for the passing of the kids.
Sunday, March 20 - Prayers for me to have clarity and peace as I hopefully meet with E's birth family  Travel mercies as we drive back to Addis.  We will take custody of E either today or tomorrow!
Monday, March 21 - Embassy appointment!  For everything to be in order and for the meeting to be quick and easy. For E's adjustment.  For the Brittain family as they keep our kids for the day.
Tuesday, March 22 - From now until Thursday night we will be at the guesthouse with E, not able to go anywhere.  Prayers for us to enjoy our getting to know him time.  For the Esping family as they keep the girls.
Wednesday, March 23 - We should get E's visa today.  For the Grafe family, as they have an extra long day with the three girls.
Thursday, March 24 - For our hearts as we leave the country I love so much.  For travel mercies as we head home.  For E to be a good traveler and for me to be able to comfort and reassure him.  For the Norris family keeping our girls.
Friday, March 25 - Travel safety.  For our entry into the U.S. to be smooth.  For us to be able to have a good visit with our friends, the McCoy's, in Atlanta.  For Justin and the girls as they prepare for us to arrive.  For our plane to be on time to Albuquerque.  Safe journeys to the airport for everyone coming to welcome us home.

If you want to be there for our arrival, our flight is scheduled to arrive at 9:10 on Friday night at the Albuquerque Sunport.  Contact Justin Friday night for any last minute changes or delays.

Thanks for the prayers and support everyone!

Six Days

It's surreal that we're leaving in 6 days!  I don't feel ready at all.  I have lists and piles and suitcases everywhere.  I'm excited about how our travel plans worked out.  We are leaving a day early and spending a quick 24 hours in London.  My dad really wants Cade to experience it.  He's in a stage where he talks in an English accent all the time [Cade, not my dad] and he wants to visit 221B Baker Street [Sherlock Holmes].  It'll be a fun little excursion before we get down the the main event!

I've been complacent, though, thinking I only need to pack for Cade, E, and myself.  No biggie compared to getting all six of us ready to be gone from home for a week and a half last time.  Wellllll, decided a few days ago that we're sending the girls to Clovis for about five days while I'm gone.  My awesome mom is taking them during her spring break! They're excited, but now I've got to get them all ready to go, too.  I'm once again packing and planning for six.  

The logistics of it all really are mind boggling.  I'm planning out all of the meals for Justin and the kids while I'm gone and prepping and freezing what I can.  Finding childcare and figuring out how's he going to juggle law school, work, homeschooling, practices, church stuff, sleep, and games.  Putting our schedule on paper made me feel a little better about being exhausted and rushed all the time.  Good grief we're busy!

My brother, Jon, who has a donkey named after me [long story] will be interested to find out that I'm a mule on this trip.  That's what Brighton Their World calls people who take formula to Ethiopia for them.  I'm carrying about 25 pounds to a state run orphanage. I'm glad to be able to help!

I'm looking forward to cutting the red ribbon off of my wrist.  I've been wearing it since last summer to remind me to pray for Little E and other adoptive families.  The idea came from an ancient Chinese proverb that says "A red thread connects those who are destined to meet. The thread may tangle or stretch but it will never break.”  It's gotten kind of frayed, dull, and worn.  Kind of reminds me of how I have felt at many points in the adoption process.

I don't think we could have gotten through the rough patches without the unwavering support of our family and friends.  So many times over the past month I've been struck by how many people care for Little E.  He has no idea how loved he already is!  He's a very blessed little guy.  I have heard continuously from people who are praying for him and us and are interested in the process.  It's been uplifting and encouraging.

We'll be flying into the Albuquerque airport on the evening of Friday, March 25.  If you want to be part of our greeting committee and meet E before we go into seclusion for two or three weeks, let me or Justin know and we'll get you the details.  It's gonna be epic.

We're Headed Back to Africa

Alrighty, it's official!  We leave in 12 days!  On Tuesday, we received word that the U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa has approved us to travel.  Today, we found out that our embassy appointment is on March 21!  We're so relieved that the wait we were told would take 2-6 weeks turned out to only be one week long.  It has been fourteen weeks today since we left Little E.  Two weeks from today we will finally be reunited!

I'm excited that the end is in sight, but I'm still anxious for the other families who continue to wait for news about embassy submissions and approvals.

While I pack our suitcases and get everything ready to go, I'm rocking the new necklace that my wonderful friend, Heidi, sent to me.  Isn't it amazingly wonderfully beautiful?