While waiting for Maggie, we are picking up her brother in Africa!


Thursday, September 17, 2009

New video at bringhomeeli.blogspot.com

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Eli is here!

Check out Eli on his blog: bringhomeeli.blogspot.com

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Moving blogs!

Hey all! We are changing blogs for Eli. Eli's blog address is: bringhomeeli.blogspot.com

We are heading to the city Wednesday after school to stay in a hotel near the airport. Our plane leaves at 7:10 a.m. Thursday morning! We can't wait! We will try very hard to keep Eli's blog updated while we are on our trip. It may be hard sometimes with slow internet connections and no electricity every other day!! :0 Please pray for us!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

July update on Eli!!!

We got our July update on Eli today! The closer it gets to going to get him, the more I ache to hold him. We think he's just beautiful. They said that he is 62 cm long (I think that is around 24 inches. I'll need to check my math!) and weighs 12 lbs. He's a little guy, for 5 months old. He looks healthy though. They reported that he is a happy, content, and quiet baby who hardly ever cries. He drinks 7 - 5oz bottles a day, with 2 of the feedings in the night. Those night feedings will be an adjustment! :) They report that his development is good. It looks like his chicken pox are getting better. We just can't wait to have him in our arms!! Only 2 more weeks until we head that way!!

Monday, July 27, 2009

We Passed Court!!!!!

Introducing Elijah James Yabetse Corderman!!!!
He is officially ours!!!
For this child I prayed. I Samuel 1:27
3 months old - referral pictures

4 1/2 months - poor little guy had chicken pox, but doesn't he look healthy and happy!!



Thursday, July 23, 2009

Prayers needed!!

We are so in prayer that MOWA (Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs) in Ethiopia will reopen as planned tomorrow. Ethiopia is 8 hours ahead of us, so possibly while we are sleeping tonight, they could be writing our letter of recommendation. This letter is what is needed in order for us to pass court on Monday. We are hoping to get mass prayers going!! :) Our hearts yearn more everyday to get to our son. Please help us to pray our baby home!! Thank you!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Colorado Trip 2009

This was a gorgeous double rainbow after a short shower one day. I took the picture from our campsite looking at mom and dad's campsite.
A dew dotted wildflower

This butterfly was in a mound with about 4 or 5 others like it. It was beautiful!


We had a super time in Colorado! It was so nice to get away from everything. We needed a break from the computer, TV, news, etc.


There were many of these little fellows around our campsite. We kept them fed with bread. We went on many 4 wheel drive excursions this year and was lucky enough to see a bear on one of them!



We stayed at this location (in our camper though) the night before we left for home. We always dry camp when we're in Colorado which means we don't have electricity, we have to haul water, and we have to dump our septic on the way home at an RV dump site. We decided this year, to stay at a place that had electricity, water and dump hookups on the night before we left. We thought since we were going to have a late night watching the fireworks in the mountains, that it would be easier on us. It was, and it saved us time on our way home the next morning because we didn't have to dump!


4th of July parade in Creede.........What a blast!





I took a lot of scenery and flower pictures this year. The wildflowers were extra beautiful and plentiful this year because of all the rain Colorado's gotten.



Baylee and I continued our tradition of rock painting this year!






We went on several hikes this year too! This was the hike that I fell on a rock on a mountain side! Wow! It bruised and knotted my leg nicely! Guess I need to quit being so cocky trying to run up the mountain!


Brian acted like he was going to dive right in!



This is Crystal Lake where we hiked to! It was beautiful!



This is North Clear Creek Falls near where we camp.






Baylee and I in the camper.





Engineers Pass..........very high..........Baylee was scared the whole drive up! She covered her head half the time!






Thursday, July 9, 2009

New Court Date!

We have a new court date on July 27th. Our agency is very hopeful that we will pass this time. MOWA (Ministry of Women and Childrens Affairs) will open again on July 24th and they feel that they will have our letter of recommendation ready for court on the 27th. Oh please join us in prayer that we will pass this time so that we can go get our sweet baby boy. Adoption is such an emotional roller coaster!!!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Not yet

We did not pass court today. They were missing 1 document on our baby's end. It will be at least a few more weeks before we know anything. So sad, but yet rejoicing in the knowledge that he is ours and God will not let him stay in Ehiopia one day longer than he is supposed to. I know he has a nanny that takes good care of him........I just long for it to be me.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

JULY 7TH COURT DATE!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah! We received word today that our court date is July 7th! We are beyond thrilled!! Please join us in prayer that we will pass the first time so that we can possibly travel to get Eli by the end of July!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Chef Baylee and the Dogs!

Baylee took a cooking class this summer, so she has sure been into cooking. She has made us lasagna and garlic bread for supper, as well as 2 different kinds of cookies! Yeah! Keep it up Baylee!
The cookie monster in my life!
Annie girl..........the onriest dog in the county!
Sweet Ariel.........doesn't she look like those big nosed stuffed dogs you can get?

Oh happy Missy...........If she could talk, I know she would be saying I love you, love you, love you, thank you for giving me a home!!
Complicated Babe.........She loves us so much, but you always wonder what's going on in her head!

Louie and Gracie pics to come later! Baylee loves volleyball and Annie would love to play with her!!

Brian's and Baylee's garden

Time with family!

Daddy Mom and Aunt Trish
Aunt Trish and Uncle Larry




Sunday, June 14, 2009

Taking it all in!

Well, it has been 3 days since we first laid eyes on our precious Elijah. I can't stop staring at his beautiful baby face! The longing for him is intensifying every moment. It has been a long and winding road for Brian, Baylee and I to grow our family. But let me tell you, looking at our little guy, it is well worth the wait! I just finished reading this awesome book called "Wild Goose Chase". It came highly recommended by both a fellow blogger, and our pastor. It is about pursuing God and how sometimes it seems he's leading us on a wild goose chase! This is so true, but it's really how we grow as Christians on the chase. Here are a few excerpts from this awesome book:

"Getting where God wants me to go, isn't nearly as important as becoming who God wants me to be." I love that part! It's so true. I look back at our 8 year quest to become parents again and it's amazing how much I have grown in my faith and patience. Don't get me wrong........I still have a long ways to go in my walk with God, but I feel stronger and more at peace than ever before. It is pretty freeing and a relief to let go and know that God is in control. I know that I will continue to try to control things at times. That's in our human nature, but I think I am more quick to realize when I am doing that now.

This part of the story, I read the day before we received our "CALL" :
"Divine Delays - The longer the wait, the more you appreciate. We take for granted things we don't have to work for or wait for.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is just hang in there. Unfulfilled dreams are downright depressing, but nothing builds emotional and spiritual endurance like divine delays."

Wow! I recommend this book. It spoke to me!

Many have asked what's next. When will we get to go pick up Eli? Well, here goes another divine delay!! We have to wait for a court date. Hopefully, that will be next month. If we pass through court, then we travel 2-4 weeks later! We pray that we will pass through court the 1st time. 40% of families don't. We hope to be in the 60%! Please pray specifically for a quick and successful court date! We will keep you posted when we find out our court date. Once we pass through court, we can share pictures of Elijah on the blog, until then keep us in your prayers.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

We have a baby boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We received our referral for an absolutely beautiful baby boy today! He is 3 months old and just amazing! We can't wait to hold him in our arms and love all over him!!!!! Praise God for this miracle!!!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Soooo Close, but yet it seems so far away!

Baylee and I are going bonkers I believe, waiting for the CALL! I never dreamed being in the number 1 slot would be so nerve wracking! I almost wish school was still going so that I would have more to occupy my time! We are trying to not think too hard about it, but we just can't seem to help it! Brian is way better at this kind of thing. He never frets about much at all! Today I took my mom-in-law to the eye dr., ran a couple of errands, and then did some craft projects. Tomorrow I need to clean the house, focusing mostly on our back(family) room. It constantly needs attention. On Thursday I will take Baylee to golf lessons, run some more errands, get Baylee's haircut, and then I am going to school to get all my books to bring home. I am trying to get more organized at school. I am going to try to implement a new classroom library plan. I am going to code my 100's of books with sticker dots according to author's first letter of the last name. This should take quite a bit of time! Yeah! See, I am trying to stay busy and productive. I have already cleaned out closets, the frig, the garage, planted tons of flowers, among other things, but I still have quite a lot of idle time. I know that in less than 2 short months, school will be back in session, hopefully things will be progressing with the adoption, and I will miss these days of idle time! I really do enjoy my summers, because with school, things are always busy, but right now these lazy days of summer are just the thing to give my mind too much of an opening to think about ............that CAAAAALLLLLL!! Just think, next summer I won't have any time to think, because I will be chasing a little one again! Oh, I can't wait! Please pray for us!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Jason's wedding!

Brian's nephew got married a couple of weeks ago. It's hard to believe! He and his new little wife will be graduating soon with teaching degrees.






Saturday, May 30, 2009

9 months

Well, no referral news yet! The investigation in Ethiopia is still ongoing which is probably playing a role in the slowdown. April was such a big month of referrals and successful court dates, but May has been just the opposite. There was a referral yesterday........the day that marked exactly 9 months since we officially began the WAIT. It went to another couple with our same DTE date: 8/29/08. This is pretty exciting! It means that we and another couple are tied for number 1 in line for a little boy! Our agency numbers the dossiers as they come into their office, though we have no idea who exactly is next between us, but I hope we get our referral the same day along with many others! We so want to beat the court closures, but each day that goes on without our referral slims our chances even more. We pray for our referral soon along with successful court dates for all those with court dates scheduled and those of us yet to be! It is all in God's timing.............haven't I said that many times before?? I know it to be true, as hard as it is to accept sometimes and understand. One day we will hold that baby in our arms and oh what a glorious day it will be!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Still waiting.......................!

Yes, we are still waiting!! :( They did say within 1 to 2 months! I am the eternal optimist, so all I heard was the "within the 1" part!!!! Oh well, it will be soon though, I can feel it!

We walk by faith, not by sight!

We have been praying for a situation that has arisen in Ethiopia regarding adoptions. They are suspecting some corruption in abandonment issues and are doing an investigation which in turn is holding some adoptions up. We are so thankful they are protecting their children like this, and we pray for a swift correction to this situation. We pray for all families in the middle of it. We suspect this may be holding some of our referrals up as well. We keep going back to the knowledge that it is all in God's timing. It will happen when it is supposed to!

All else is going well. This is the last week of school for Baylee and I. We are happy for summer, but it's always hard to end a chapter of your life. We have a lot of changes coming up this year! Brian and I are turning 40 (yuk), Baylee is going to middle school (yuk), we are traveling to another country halfway across the world (exciting and scary), and we are becoming parents again (at 40!!)(exciting, scary, wonderful)! Life is like a rollercoaster..........you just got to enjoy the ride! One of my favorite sayings (my mom's too) is "Happiness is journey, not a destination."

Hopefully, the next time I post will be with REFERRAL NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Update!

We got our "on deck" email today from our adoption agency! This email basically states that our referral will be soon! We are now in the top 10 waiting for referrals! There are 4 families, that we know of, ahead of us in line for a baby boy. It is so hard to believe that this is really happening! We have been in the China line so long that it seems unreal that Africa is so fast! Our paperwork was just submitted August 29th. So hopefully within the next 1 to 2 months, we will get our call that we have a baby boy! I'm busy right now contacting our social worker about a homestudy update, getting background checks again, getting travel vaccinations, filing to renew fingerprints, and renewing our I-171H(government approval for a foreign adoption)!! Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, and then BAM, it hits you all at once!!! I am glad that I have school to teach because it keeps me too busy to fret over the phone waiting for "THE CALL"! I, normally don't keep my phone with me or even charged up, but lately I have been keeping it charged and close by! Say a prayer that we will get that CALL soon and that we will have a successful court date so that we can beat court closures!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

7 months DTE!

Baylee ............all ready for the Spring Band Concert! She did so well! Some days I feel like this monkey while we are waiting for our referral! Ho hum! Is it ever going to happen! We are getting closer though!!!! AWAA (our adoption agency) has had an incredible month with over 20 referrals and lots of successful court days! Yeah! Keep it rolling! There is a big group of us praying a lot and we can definitely feel God's movement! There are currently 7 people ahead of our DTE group (place in line) that are waiting for boys or either. There might be mystery families that we don't know about, but that is sure getting close enough to get excited! We are currently #2 or 3 for a toddler boy though, so if any older babies come into the orphanage...........well wow!


Baylee and I, with some friends and our church group, went to the Wichita Zoo over Spring Break! It was cool and very windy, but we had a great time!




Baylee went to an opposites birthday party. The boys dressed like girls and the girls dressed like boys. It was quite hilarious! Baylee is the one in the blue jersey and OU hat.

We met my parents at a place on Route 66 called Pops. It was pretty cool! We had a great burger and of course a pop!