Testing, testing.....1,2,3

The last time we were in Ethiopia, we did not have much of a chance to use the internet....so we weren't able to post on the blog.   We are not sure if things will be better this time or not, but if they ARE, we have to post via email....so that is what I am trying to do here!  Hopefully, we will even be able to send a picture or two...NO PROMISES!

Please be praying as we continue to prepare for the trip of a lifetime!!

Hannah's Hope, here we come!  We can't wait to walk through THIS gate!     :)

Planning, packing, patio and puppies!!

Wow!! It is CRAZY here!

We finally have tickets purchased to Ethiopia to bring Derek home! We leave in 6 short days....so it has been crazy here! We have been making lists, gathering & packing donations, talking about what to expect...and trying to maintain our sanity!

We did a couple of things 2 months ago that have added to the chaos (decisions we made back when we assumed the courts would close and we wouldn't have Derek home for a long time) ....

1) We started a remodeling project! It has become obvious that the project will NOT be finished...but Chad has been busy trying to get as much done as possible. This week it has been the patio. And I LOVE it!! I can't wait to sit out there and soak up some sun!

2) We thought it would be fun for Sugar to have a litter of puppies, so we found her a boxer-husband and she delivered her pups Sunday. Won't that be fun to come home to? HA! (It sounded fun when we thought they would have found them their OWN homes BEFORE Derek came home!!) :)

So, that's the scoop here! Crazy, but VERY blessed!!!
Stay tuned!

"He has the sweetest smile in the world...."

We received an update on little Derek (had I officially mentioned that will be his name??!!). This was our "Preparatory Update"....as in PREPARING TO COME HOME UPDATE!!!!

The update had some fun info about his daily schedule...like the "laying in the sun/massage" time from 9:00-11:40 a.m.! When we visited Hannah's Hope in January, we were there during this "sun" time, and it was such a JOY to see all the babies outside. In some orphanages, babies don't get outside much, if at all. But at Hannah's Hope, they are outside every day!!

The update also had the word that I was sooooooo waiting to hear: "SMILE"!!!!
In the ((few)) pictures that we have of Derek, we have yet to see him smile. He looks so sad in most of them. But listen to this description....straight from Ethiopia:

"Personality -- Dereje is content baby most of the time and has the sweetest smile in the world. He is an intellectual little guy; he takes it all in first before he warms up to you. He loves being outdoors and looking at anything that moves."

Music to my ears.
I guess he is waiting for us to see his smile for the first time IN PERSON.

He has also gained a little weight. He is up to a whopping 18 pounds at 15 months old (by the way, he is 15 months old TODAY!). That still puts him super low on the growth curve, but is great progress from when he came in to Hannah's Hope at 14 pounds!!

We are still waiting to get confirmation on our travel dates. If our appointment at the US Embassy in Ethiopia is confirmed, we are hoping to book flights for September 2nd.

Our family wants to thank you ALL for the kind words, BUT MOST OF ALL for all of your prayers!
Please continue to pray for our family as we prepare to BRING DEREK HOME!!!!

CELEBRATE!!!!!!

It is with very happy hearts that we are letting you all know WE PASSED COURT!!!
Praise God!!
Our little guy is now FOREVER a member of the Timmons family!
We are absolutely amazed at how God has put this adoption on the "fast track" to home!

All God's Children gave us tentative travel dates of September 6-10, but we are hoping to go a couple days early to see the amazing things that have been happening since we were there in January (more details on that to come!)

As of right now, we are planning on all FIVE of us traveling to Ethiopia....and all SIX of us traveling home! Please pray about that as we try to make the arrangements!

:)
Oh Happy Day!!!!!

PLEASE PRAY!!!!

In a few minutes it will be Wednesday, August 12, 2009 in Ethiopia.
August 12, 2009.
Our court date.

Sometime in the next 18 hours or so, a judge in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will review the file on the Timmons family... and review the circumstances of little 14 month old boy living at Hannah's Hope Orphange. And, IF GOD SO CHOOSES, the judge will declare that sweet little boy PERMANENTLY AND FOREVER A MEMBER OF THE TIMMONS FAMILY.

Oh how we pray.

There are several documents and people that must all be in place for us to "pass court"....and every T must be crossed...and every I must be dotted. But we certainly serve a God who is way bigger than I's and T's....so we will pray.

We will post as soon as we know anything (it sometimes can take a day or two to get info) and then we talk about all the fun stuff that comes next...