Is this for real?? (imagine "for real" in a high pitched tone)

So... many of you know that our paperwork was held up in Georgia for quite a while. After talking to our agency today I found out that 3 counties in Georgia had NEVER county certified any docs for Ethiopian adoptions (for real?) - Georgia friends, change this! There are 4.5 million orphans in Ethiopia who need a loving family and a home. Georgia, home to Coca-Cola and Chick-fil-A, is a great place to grow up....

Also, one of the county offices our paperwork got stuck in was delayed even longer because the office didn't have internet access! (for real??)

Now, the good news is that our paperwork has been to Washington, D.C. and back!! It would have headed straight to Ethiopia today, BUT a freak snowstorm kept our case worker in Minnesota. (for real??...snowstorm on the first day of spring delays us one more day?!)

(photo of actual Oklahoma snowstorm that delayed our paperwork, seemed worth documenting - stolen from mycrazyadoption.com)

Are these ridiculous delays for real?? Sometimes, they don't seem like it. But, we know that they are...they are as real as the baby God has chosen to be a Palmer...And His perfect timing is real...

Breaking the Silence - Big Changes in Adoption Process

Well.... for quite a while now there has really been NO adoption news to report. Our paperwork was hung up for quite a while.... just sitting on someone's desk waiting for a seal and a signature. BUT.... it's moving again! Soon our dossier (huge packet of paperwork) should be on its way to Washington and then to Ethiopia!

There has also been another HUGE development....

Ethiopia is now requiring adoptive families to travel to Ethiopia twice - once for a court appearance before an Ethiopian judge and then again to bring the child home (this will occur 10-12 weeks after court, when the US has issued the child a visa).

At first, all we could see was that this would add an additional $5,000 or so in travel expenses. BUT, there are many pluses... we'll get to meet, hold, and snuggle our baby sooner...(we'll try not to think about the fact that we'll have to leave him), once he steps off the plane and onto U.S. soil he'll be an American citizen (this is a result of us appearing in court in ET... I don't really get why, but it is), and this offers another layer of protection for the orphans of Ethiopia.

This change (and additional expense) has caused several adoptive parents that I've heard of to reconsider their choice to adopt from ET.... we'd go 15 times if we had to.

We've kicked up the our savings efforts and we're selling ceramic coasters as a fundraiser (in addition to the coffee - check it out on the side bar). You can scope out the coasters HERE. Who knows, we may be adding other products soon! 

Oh, and just thought I'd share a pic I took in Ghana of this cutie pie hangin' out with her grandma...this is totally and completely unrelated to our adoption...this sweet baby has a fam!

An Adoption Miracle

One of the last pieces of paperwork we were waiting on was approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration. We were told it could take 60-90 days for them to process the paperwork. We were SO bummed about the 2-3 month delay. But, an adoption miracle happened - the government moved quickly! After only 16 days we were SHOCKED to find the paperwork in the mail! If that's not a miracle, we don't know what is!

Our paperwork is being processed by our adoption agency. Then, it will head to Washington, D.C. to get some important and expensive stamps and seals and then to ETHIOPIA! It finally feels like we're moving along!

Mardi Gras Fun!!

One thing many people outside of New Orleans don't realize is that Mardi Gras can be family friendly. The parade routes stretch for miles and miles and many places along the route are filled with families and little kiddos are the ones who catch the most "throws".

Maggie in her seat that's attached to a ladder -who wouldn't toss some beads to this cutie??


Uncle Jon getting in on the action


Catching beads is hard work - while Maggie was taking a nap someone tossed her a one-armed-bear...only in New Orleans...only at Mardi Gras....



Gma and baby Jack kickin' back watching the parade


Group Pic



Saints Super Bowl Parade - WHO DAT!

Couldn't Have Said It Better...

Click over (it won't take long, I promise) and read this blog...

http://www.catalystspace.com/content/read/everyone_needs_a_family_kay_warren/

I could really see this becoming my blogging habit - just linking you to something else....

Ghana

Hey folks!

Our trip to Ghana has been great so far. It has been quite an adventure and we've learned a lot. I've been able to meet with a missionary who is interested in working with the Songhai. And, Emily has gotten a lot of work done so that her organization can send medical supplies to a hospital in northwest Ghana this summer.

To learn more about the Songhai, check out this website - http://seekingthesonghai.net/

Sorry I haven't been able to post pictures. Internet here is really slow. But to give you an idea of our travels here's list of the vehicles we've utilized:

taxi - in capital city of Accra
big bus - 13 hours to get from Accra to Wa (town in the northwest)
back of a pickup truck - 2 hours on wooden benches w/ 15 other people!
a dugout canoe - ok, well, that was to see hippos on the Volta River between Ghana and Burkina Faso
15 passenger van - 2 hours, WAY more than 15 passengers and blaring African music

It's been quite an experience. Next time I'm here, I hope you'll join me!

Songhai

The Songhai people live along the Niger River in Niger and Mali. But, conditions in those desert climates make life difficult and many of the Songhai have migrated south to Ghana's capital city, Accra.

With an estimated population of 8,000 - 12,000 in one neighborhood in Accra, the Songhai are still living within their tribal system. The chief and tribal leaders are responsible for the decision making in the neighborhood.

Pray that tribal leaders would be open to groups coming in. Pray that God would show us a practical need we can meet to show the Songhai we care.

Thanks for your prayers! The internet's too slow to upload pics, but this is a beautiful country!