Blessed Family Blog: Pumpkin Patch and Zoo

Welcome to our Blessed Family Blog. You will find family news & pictures, tidbits of our four Ethiopian adoptions and lots more! We welcome you and hope you enjoy reading about us. We are a large Christian homeschooling family. We have been married for thirty years, have seven boys, five lovely daughters, three beautiful daughters-in-law, a handsome son-in-law, one beautiful granddaughter, one grandson and another grandbaby due in July. We are in the paperchase phase of bringing home two more children from Ethiopia to join our family.

Third Adoption Timeline

Jan 7-Contacted by social worker and interviews will start this month
January 4, 2011-Homestudy paperwork received and social worker should be in contact soon
December 27-Homestudy paperwork and homestudy fee in mail to AWAA-California
December 10-Wristband Fundraiser started
November 30-Tastefully Simple Fundraiser-$150 raised
October 25-Sarah's Treasure Box Fundraiser-$250 raised with sale of 50 necklaces
Adoption Bug T-Shirt Fundraiser Started
October 1-Receive Home Study packet and Welcome to the Ethiopia program emails
September 26-Sent in first agency fee
September 17-Fill out required agency agreement forms and get ready to mail with first agency fee
September 16-Receive phone call that we're approved to adopt
September 12-Coin boxes ready for fundraising
September 7-Contacted by friends that they want to do a T-shirt fundraiser with original one-of-a kind T-shirts
September 7-Send in applicaton
September 6-Start our first fundraiser with JustLove Coffee Roasters
September 6-Fill out application
September 4-Decide to move forward with adoption of two children
August 2010-Request information packet from America World Adoption

2010 Readings

Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore
Dream Big: The Henrietta Mears Story by Earl O. Roe
Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky
Forever Lily: An Unexpected Mother's Journey to Adoption in China by Beth Nonte Russell
From Ashes To Africa by Josh & Amy Bottomly
Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China by Janet & Geoff Benge
Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani
Oceans Apart by Karen Kingsbury
Of Beetles & Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey From A Refugee Camp To Harvard by Mawi Asgedom
same kind of different As me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore
Take Your Best Shot: Do Something Bigger Than Yourself by Austin Gutwein
The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Alborn
The Hospital By The River: A Story of Hope by Dr. Catherine Hamlin
The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (language warning)
Too Small To Ignore by Dr. Wess Stafford
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Alborn

2009 Readings

A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family by Mary Ostyn
Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren
David Livingstone-Africa's Trailblazer
Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham
Gladys Alyward:The Adventure of a Lifetime by Janet & Geoff Benge
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
If I Perish by Esther Ahn Kim
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Letters To My Daughter by Maya Angelou
Love in the House by Chris & Wendy Jeub
Multiple Bles8ings by Jon & Kate Gosselin & Beth Carson
Nights In Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks
Old Yellar by Frank Gipson
Once Blind: The Life of John Newton by Kay Marshall Strom
Savage Sam by Fred Gipson
So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore by Jake Colsen
Sundays at Tiffanys by James Patterson
Sweethearts For a Lifetime: Making the Most of Your Marriage by Wayne & Carol Mack
The Little Woman by Gladys Alyward
Woman Thou Art Loosed! by T.D. Jakes
Woman Thou Art Loosed! The Devotional by T.D. Jakes

2008 Readings

Do They Hear You When You Cry? by Fauziya Kassindja
Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia by Rebecca Haile
John Newton: Angry Sailor by Kay Marshall Strom
Mama Made the Difference: Life Lessons My Mother Taught Me by T.D. Jakes
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Passionate Housewives Desparate For God by Stacy McDonald & Jennie Chancey
Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall
Teaching Montessori In the Home
The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
We Are All the Same by Jim Wooten

Second Adoption Timeline

4/25/08-Home!
4/24/08-Leave Ethiopia
4/22/08-Embassy Date
4/21/08-Meet our new daughters
4/19/08-Travel to Ethiopia
4/10/08-Notified of April 22 embassy date & received birth certificates
4/03/08-Notified of possible April 22 embassy date
3/28/08-Successful Court date!
3/18/08-Another CWA family meets our girls and delivers a care package for us
3/18/08-Court postponed until March 28
2/28/08-Notified of March 18 court date
2/18/08-Received second medicals
2/11/08-Girls moved to CWA foster home/care center
2/06/08-Faxed our I-171H to CWA
1/23/08-Dossier on its way to Ethiopia
1/08/08-Our dossier was approved by CWA
12/13/07-Assigned a case manager
12/12/07-Accepted referral of Addis & Mulu (Abi) as our new daughters!
12/12/07-Inquired again about Addis & Mulu
12/03/07-Homestudy update is ready for review
11/12/07-CWA receives our adoption application
11/08/07-Started homestudy update with Adoption Options
10/22/07-Inquired about Addis & Mulu

First Adoption Timeline

8/21/07-Fly home!!!!
8/21/07-Embassy date!
8/09/07-Birth certificates mailed
8/08/07-Notified of August 21 embassy date
7/23/07-Court date successful
7/26/07-Notified that Adah has an upper respitory infection
6/25/07-Second medicals on girls received
5/17/07-Sent in acceptance forms for Derartu & Mihret
5/16/07-Receive referral information on Derartu (Adah)
5/16/07-Receive referral info on Mihret (Anna)
5/15/07-Asked to consider two girls 7 months and 13-14 months
4/06/07-Attend Kingdom Kids Older Child Ethiopian Adoption training
3/29-07-Dossier on its way to Ethiopia
3/23-/07-Dossier arrives at CWA & shipped to D.C.
3/19/07-CWA receives our I-171H
2/27/08-Homestudy draft ready for review
2/06/07-CWA receives our paperwork
1/18/07-Change from the country of Guatemala to Ethiopia
12/21/06-CWA receives our application
12/20/06-Request information on adoption from CWA

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Pumpkin Patch and Zoo

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