Loving others...

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." - 1 John 4:7

So I read that verse this morning it confirmed it once again in my heart that loving others doesn't come from anything we can do - I sometimes try sooo hard to love others that maybe aren't all that easy to love OR I just ignorantly have overlooked them. 'for love is from God' - its something God gives us and we have to allow Him to flow it over us!

"Dear Lord I give up my ability to love others and fully allow You to work in my life and that I may love others because YOU have given me that love!"

So humbling to know that God really is controlling all aspects of my life....AND so comforting!

Go with God....its the only way that brings blessed eternal life...!

Jaci Walking

Jaci started taking a few steps a month ago or so and has been randomly standing up in the middle of the floor for quite some time BUT just in the past week she started toddling across the room. She is quite clumsy but we are quite proud of her perseverance!:):) Thought we would share this video with you!! OH and you gotta love the electric toothbrush - its a must when babies are teething - they LOVE the vibration!! :) Actually any toothbrush will work - they love chewing on the bristles!

Hi from Jaci Jo :)

Be sure and turn off music on right side of screen!:)

I should have posted this a long time ago :)

We got an email on August 15, 2009 stating this....

Selam Neal and Kim:

I hope all is well with you. I wanted to extend our congratulations on your official application to the WHFC Ethiopia Program.

Your official application date is 8/14/2009 to adopt 1 child in the age range of 0 to 12 months at the time of referral.

At this point referral takes around 12-14 months! So we are hoping best case that we will receive referral around August of 2010! We are so thankful to be at this point in the process! Thanks to all that willing and selflessly blessed us with your financial help! We are so humbled!

Lots of love and prayers to all you faithful blog followers out there! (We know we do a terrible job of keeping you updated!!)

Neal, Kim, Cailer, Brock and Jaci Jo <><

Enter to win a tract handbag :)

4th of July

We spent 4th of July with Travis and Jaclyn - we started the afternoon off by meeting them at Chipotle...which we ended up not eating there but rather at Flattop Grill (sure Jaclyn appreciated that). Brock thought he was going to throw up and made a few trips to the bathroom with cramps and I was so sure it was going to happen! Then he started eating and felt better. Not sure what was up with that!:) So we went back to T&J's apartment to get water and then headed to a parking lot near them that was for a building under construction. We enjoyed playing bags all evening and the kids colored and ran around and had a ball. I had to put a silly attempt of the fireworks just so you know thats what we did when it got dark BUT it looks awful!:) We were pretty far away BUT we didnt have to deal with the traffic - that was a plus!:):)

Dossier has been approved :)

Below you will see a letter we recieved via email just minutes ago! We are so thankful and so excited! Please pray CIS Approval comes quickly!! Once we are officially on the list we have 12-18 month wait for referral! Thanks for all the prayers...for us as parents as we learn to continue daily raising our children to know Jesus Christ. For Cailer, Brock and Jaci that they will deal easily with the changes ahead of them and that they can embrace it. For all the 'fatherless' children in the world that they can feel the presence of Jesus and be comforted! God bless all of you our dearest friends...we love you so much!

Dear Neal and Kim,

Thanks for sending your dossier to the Ethiopia Program. We have just been able to review it, and I’m happy to say that it looks great. Your dossier has been accepted to the Ethiopia Program! This is a significant milestone in your process, so congratulations!

In order for your family to become officially waiting, and eligible for a referral, the Ethiopia Program is in need of the following: CIS Approval. Please remember to fax/email/mail a copy of your USCIS Approval to the Ethiopia Administrative Coordinator as soon as you receive it.

At this time, we encourage applicants to begin researching one or more doctors in their area who have experience with international adoptions, if you have not done so already. Establishing contact with a doctor in advance is important to ensure that you are able to speak with him or her in a timely manner after receiving a referral. Please find below some contacts that you may find helpful, but feel free to expand your search beyond the doctors listed here.

In preparation for travel if you do not currently have a U.S. Passport, you should apply for one at this time. If you already have a passport, be aware of the expiration date as your passport will need to be valid for more than six months at the time of visa application in order to receive an entry visa to Ethiopia. You should also contact a local travel clinic or your doctor to discuss recommended vaccinations for traveling toEthiopia. During this visit with the doctor you should also discuss any recommendations for medications that help address common travel illnesses such as travelers’ diarrhea, head congestion or sleeplessness. (You should let your doctor know that your travel may include regions outside of Addis Ababa to meet birth relatives.)

Please do not hesitate to contact your Ethiopia Case Manager or the Ethiopia Administrative Coordinator with any questions, and congratulations on finishing your dossier!

Katie Landry

Administrative Coordinator