Updates Abound!

Well, we are starting to get our bearings after all of the exciting news received in the last week or so. We are leaving for Ethiopia on Sunday the 7th and returning on Saturday the 13th. While we are there we will get to meet and spend time with both D and A. We will actually get to deliver A's welcome bag to him personally. At this point he does not know he has a family, although I am not sure he would understand anyway because of his age.
We found out we will be staying at AAI's (our agency) guest house called Ritmo. It is a 10 minute walk from Layla House which is where the children are. We have been told by the agency that many families spend their time at Layla House and volunteer while they are there but many also sightsee and shop some of the time. We plan to do a little of both along with spend as much time with D and A as we can. The great thing about Ritmo is that there will be several other AAI families staying there as well who are bringing their children home. It is where we will stay when we return to pick up the children. In Ethiopia the government has stipulated that adoptive parents cannot take their children from the Care facility until they are ready to go home because of some of the negative stigma that surrounds adoption there. The only exception are these guest houses. The kids can stay with their new family instead of going back to the care facility every night.
We have done a lot of planning but still have plenty to do. The other thing keeping us crazy is that the 6 of us are going to Disney this weekend over fall break. This is a trip that has been planned for some time and just happened to fall one week before going to Ethiopia. On one hand it will be a great way for us to get away and enjoy eachother before we hunker down in a transition period for our family. On the other hand, it makes for a very hectic few weeks of packing, planning and having no time to chill out. We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation to Disney in 2009 and I am sure that this will be no different.
Please, as always, keep praying for us. Pray for our patience and perseverence through this hectic time. More importantly, pray for our children both here and in Ethiopia. This experience won't be without its hard times for each and every one of them. Tami and I are big people that can work through things, but these kids may not realize some of the things that are going on.