So what's next?

*  We are in the process of signing 'official acceptance' papers for the girls.

Because we changed our child age request we had to once again take online classes on adopting older children, answer twenty something crazy ?'s such as, "what would you do if....(insert nightmare style-worst case scenario stuff.)"  And they don't take- 'cry- pray- call your friend' as acceptable answers.   So after staying up till 1 am finishing this  and then realizing the next morning that your document wasn't saved to only have to stay up to 1 am again the next morning finishing the scary homework! 

Then someone from our adoption agency will call us this week to interview us and basically see if we can be scared out of this- they want to make sure we know what we are doing- seeing how we have never parented children older than 8yrs.  (hmmm...I was never contacted when I was pregnant to make sure we knew what we were doing...most people don't have a clue right?!) 

After we sign those final papers in a week or so- we pay the  final adoption bill.  We have received a $3500 Grant from Steven Curtis Chapman's Orphan Ministry, 'Show Hope.'  (YAY!!) And with the money we originally raised for our plane tickets- we can pay for the sibling fee also.  Double Yay, AMAZING!!!  God is so awesome  :)

THEN- our paperwork get's submitted to the court in Ethiopia and we Wait to be given a court date!  Court dates can come as quick as 4-6 weeks!  That would be our first trip- possibly by the end of July!

BUT...courts close in Ethiopia from August 1st through the end of September (rainy season.)

IF we don't receive a court date Before August 1st than we cant go until October when they re-open!  Ugh.  We are right on the brink- we have been moving papers- overnighting and expediting things as quickly as possible...we shall see- pray with us that we can go before the long court recess!!!!

My brain has been spinning.... paperwork... craigslist searches for bunkbeds...paperwork....11 year old stuff...constant emails... re-reading medicals...paperwork...fundraising flights...thinking of box-springs/mattress's/ bedding x2....standing in Sova Grace's room trying to envision the best way to set up the bedroom...oh yeah- back to homeschooling (check the calendar...are we almost done yet?  regretting all those 'skip' days?  ummmm...no.)  staring at the twins pictures-forcing myself to stop staring...doesn't work...fundraising flights... taking webinars on how to braid hair...oh my- that's gonna take some time- yikes...and...breathe!

Many  know that I actually Love the whole experience of having a baby- including labor and delivery- I know I'm weird...that's one reason I was hesitant to adopt a few years ago because I love the process of having babies. But maybe that's another reason why I love adoptions too...it's a realllllly long pregnancy- I feel like I have been pregnant for 2 years- and now all this final paperwork and crazy stuff is like nesting.  I'm spinning in circles trying to get things in place but it's so exciting.  Adoption is definatly a labor of love including the intense pain at times...but the end product is always the same...a child enters a family...just really big twins this time around with the perk of coming home potty trained  :)

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