December Recap

December 1 - This has been a wonderful past few weeks in the adoption world, some friends of ours came home w/ their two sons from Ethiopia, another church family is there now bringing their child home, some new friends are in Latvia bringing their sweet girl home this week, we got our referral, another family that is adopting a boy from our girls orphanage is almost finished w/ their homestudy, another should be traveling either with or just behind us to get their two girls, and another friend got travel dates to Ukraine for their daughter. So happy to see all of these children soon to be one with their families forever! ♥

December 2 - Just received our official invitation to travel by the Latvian Ministry. Court dates coming soon!!!

December 5 - Front page of yesterday's paper had a story about two girls adopted from Latvia by a couple in Murfreesboro. Talks about the what all they went through but now they are healed, successful adults with a future. Thanks Kelly Kirkland for showing it to me. Ann Kimmel - tagging you in case you missed the article.

December 6 - Happy 10th birthday to my sweet Adelina. While she not yet my daughter on paper she is the daughter that the Lord has placed in my heart. I love her like I've always had her and cannot wait until she is home forever. Celebrating not only her birth today but that it is her last birthday in an orphanage.

December 7 - I want to share something cool with you all but follow along because its a lot lol. This is how awesome our God is. I met Renee Yoder Skibinski at an adoption fundraising seminar when we were still adopting from Nicaragua. She's also the one that led me to my girls. Anyway, I met Kate Hamernik through Renee on a fb fundraising group. Kate is a recently adoptive momma. Kate has a friend Kristen Gray Coffee that she met at the hospital while there with their newborn adoptive daughter who had some serious medical stuff going on. Kristen was also their adopting baby Eli who had Down Syndrome. Kristen's family is now heading back to adopt another boy just 6 months later. So I friended Kristen today through Kate who I met through Renee because I donated an item to their fundraiser today. Then, Charlotte Freeman, who is another soon to be Latvian momma that I met through the New Horizons for Children program bid on it . Do you see how this works? Adoption has networked all these families and is helping to bring all of these kids home. I am just amazed at God's awesomeness!!

December 11 - Latvia host kids are arriving today. So excited to read all their host family status updates. I wish my girls were coming but I did get to talk with them this morning and to hear them laughing and happy and reaffirming to them that we are coming next month is enough because I know soon they will be here forever :)

December 12 - Apartment shopping in Latvia :) Wish I had a court date so I could make definite plans. Hopefully this week we will get them!

December 12 - Just got back from Seans 7th grade winter concert followed up by taking the kids out for ice cream. The band did a wonderful job with all the music. Proud of my trumpet player Sean Butler

December 15 - Made my morning to look through the New Horizons for Children arrival photos and see all those kids that have found a place in my heart with their host families. All those kids I was posting that needed host families, they are there :) Oh, and my girls friends from their orphanage are there too. Now let's pray that bonds and connections are made and that these children find their forever families this winter.

December 16 - Got to chat with my daughter on the other side of the world today. I love technology :) Her response when I tell her she will soon be a Butler? "cool" LOL

December 19 - Bummed to know we have ran into another delay. The lady that gives out court dates for the orphan court it sick and the attorney says we may not have dates until next month. Such a let down. I want my girls home and it's hard for them to understand all this. Makes me wish we hadn't told them we were coming yet.

December 21 - Okay my Latvia families are getting on me to get to packing while we wait :) I am needing some warm clothes to take for the girls because when they come stay with us the orphanage most likely won't let them bring clothes. So I'm needing some 10's for Adelina and 12's for Dajana if anyone has any pants, long sleeve tops, or sweaters lying around. We have coats. May need boots but I can't remember what size shoes they wore :( They will be spending the majority of two weeks in an apartment with us there in country.

December 29 - Well seeing as we still don't have court dates travel for January is looking slim. Maybe we will be planning a two week vacation to Eastern Europe for Valentines day? Trying to put a positive spin on it :)

December 31 - Signed onto my account that I communicate w/ the girls with and got to see some Christmas photos that Dajana's dance teacher uploaded of her. Oh how my heart aches to hug my sweet girls but it did bring me some joy to see how great she looks and to see her smiling. It won't be much longer I hope.

December 31 - It's midnight in Latvia and New Years is a big holiday for them. Happy New Year Adelina and Dajana Butler!!!!