Passports & New Adventures

They are here!

We got our passports in the mail. Savannah of course hates her passport picture but its cute! Besides, I'm the one with my eyes half shut in the photo and I look drunk. It's so embarrassing that I can't even post it. Trust me, you will sleep better having not seen it! So no worries mom, it's finally taken care of and thanks for helping with Savannah's. You are the best!

In other news, Rick has been back to work for two days now. I really wish he would slow down. I don't want to see his phenomena relapse. He went to work at 3:00 in the morning and didn't come home until almost 6:00pm. I asked him why he left so early and he said that he needed a pain pill for his shoulder and he couldn't have a pain pill and then drive to work so he went to work early and then took a pain pill when he got to the office. Wow! I worry about him but he says he is fine, of course.
On a positive note, my honey still has not smoked and he threw away all his cigarettes! I am SOOoooo proud of him!!! I am so excited that he is headed to better health. And on that note....

I tried something new tonight. Lindsay and I went to a Yoga class. I have been to one before but it was nothing like this!



I am so out of shape. As a matter of fact, I'm still sore from picking the weeds in the yard for four hours over the weekend.
We chose a class that was for beginners. The instructor was very nice but she was speaking a different language than me, downward facing dog, Warrior(I knew that one), Child's pose, Cat cow stretch, tree pose and other stuff I can't even pronounce. I was in positions that my body has never done before. What??? This is beginners? When she balanced her whole body on her elbows upside down, I thought she was high! I started laughing which you are not supposed to do during yoga. They keep it very quiet in the room. I busted out laughing thinking she must be crazy if she thinks I am going to do that!
Needless to say, I actually enjoyed it and I think I will try it again. That is if I can move tomorrow, or the next day and the next day....

Boyd Weekend Wrap Up!

Rick is feeling better. I knew when he starting to make wise cracks on Saturday that he was going to be ok. He is going to try to go to work in the morning against my advice. He is still on pain meds so I think he should stay home but he says he doesn't need to take them. We will see...Thank you to all of you who prayed for Rick, it worked and it meant a lot.

Rick hasn't smoked for over a week now. I am so proud of him. He went cold turkey after the surgery. I hope that he quits for good! That would be so awesome! I will let you know what happens. Pray for me during this time.:)

Since Rick was feeling better, Lindsay, Savannah and I got out of the house. We were on a hunt to find a certain fabric that I needed more of for the nursery. So it all started a few months ago when my daughter, Savannah and I went to a "not so nice" part of Dallas where they have several industrial buildings in a row that are fabric shops. It is like little sweatshops but without the kids. Anyway, we found some fabric on clearance that was so pretty. We got 5 yards for only 6.00. I knew I wanted to use it for the nursery but I would need more. A few weeks later Jessica and Rickey came into town and Jess and I went to the fabric shops to look for more of that pretty fabric. But, no luck! Darn. A few weeks later a get a lovely singing Hallmark card from Jess with a swatch of fabric in it. It was the same fabric I had been looking for. Yeah!!! Thank you Jessica for finding a store that had more! You are the best!

So back to my weekend. We went to the store that had more of the fabric that Jess had found and not only did that have the fabric, the store had a 40% off sale! Man was I happy! Here is the fabric:

We also picked out some other accent fabrics for the nursery. We are making everything, the crib bedding, curtains, throw and pillow. I can't wait to see the finished product. We have to paint the babies room too.



After we found the fabric, we went to the mall to get Savannah a few pair of jeans for school. While we were in Macy's, we of course walked by the baby department. I haven't bought any baby clothes up to this point because we didn't have a referral yet. Now that we have a referral, I still didn't plan on buying anything because babies grow so fast and you never know if what we buy now will fit her later. We walked by the clearance rack and all that thinking went out the door. The clothes were so cute and so cheap!
I got the outfits below and the total was 35.00 for everything. So cute!!!

Swimsuit and coverup

Another Swimsuit and a sun dress

Dress and a Puma Dress with bloomers


Jessica got us a bib that says, "Nobody puts baby in the corner" (movie: Dirty Dancing quote)and Leah got us some cute baby legs and a hair bow.




Maybe I should think about getting more practical things for the baby like a stroller, carseat etc...

On Sunday, Rick relaxed and watched football all day. Savannah had cheer pratice and Lindsay and I spent 4 hours pulling weeds out of the front yard. We have 1 1/2 acres so there was a lot of ground to cover. Thank you so much Lindsay!!! After we were done our bodies were so sore and the tip of our fingers felt like they were going to bleed.

So that's it for the weekend wrap up. I left out some of the boring details but you get the general idea. I'm going to go get some icy hot, take some ibuprofen and think about the joys of going to work tomorrow for another busy week! Whoo hoo!

They grow up so fast!

Savannah cheered in her first football game last week and I'm just now posting the pictures. She looked so grown up in her uniform. Next to her is Sydney, AKA "squid". She is a semi-permenant fixture at our house and like another daughter. Savannah is the one with the bangs.

Girls, you gotta love em!

Our precious little one...

We have not received any updates on our precious little one yet. The courts will reopen in October and we hope to have a court date soon.
Several babies have been sick that are in the same orphanage as our little one. I pray that she doesn't get sick and that all the babies stay healthy. Another adopting parent shared these videos of the orphanage where our baby is staying (thanks Tania). They do a really good job with the kids but of course they have limited resources and there are so many kids. Ever night I wonder if our baby is crying or if she has been held, if she is sick. I pray for her daily. I can't wait to come get you little one!

Here are the two videos of the orphanage:

Part I



Part II

Ahhh....Aren't they cute!

My brother, Sy got married over the summer and I just now got to see the pictures. There was 310 photos and I chose a few of my favorites to show you. Their photographer was so good. They took a lot of photos in downtown KC. Amazing. The wedding was one of the best I have ever been to. They are so in love and it was great to see Sy and Emily so happy! Love you guys!

Update on the Boyd's

Rick is on the upswing. He is still weak but is resting. Savannah is feeling better so I'm happy about that. Lindsay, my friend, helped me a lot with Savannah and brought me food to the hospital. She is a jem! Thanks to all of you who prayed for Rick, I love ya!

Update on Rick...

Rick came home from the hospital today. I am glad to know that his heart is fine and they have not found any blood clots. He is recovery from pneumonia with antibiotics and he is finally resting.He is on the upswing. Savannah stayed home from school sick today. Please continue to pray for their recovery and for my sanity! You know how men can be when they are sick!!!

Prayer needed!

I had to take Rick to the emergency room in the middle of the night. He was in pain from his surgery last Friday and hadn’t slept for 2 days and then he started to have chest pains and couldn’t breathe well. He was admitted into the hospital with phenomena. After a big surgery this is not good so please pray for him.

Amber

Not Just Window Shopping Now! :)

I'm trying to hold off on buying an clothes until we have a court date but it's so hard. I love hats and tights!

Holy Poop!

We got our referral! This post is a little long but I didn't want to forget the things we were feeling that day later on.

So here is how it all went down...

I got up at 5:15am this morning, which if you know me, that is early. I was thinking about Steve a lot and had a big day at work ahead of me so I decided to go to work early and get a head start. I thought for some reason that this might be the day, the day we get a referral.I can't explain why I thought that. Of course, I have thought that before.

It was a typical hectic Monday at work and a lot of the agents were very sad about our friend Steve passing away over the weekend. For lunch, me and two of my best buds from work, Pam and Lindsay, went to a tea room. It was very quiet and relaxing with classical music playing in the background. It was just what we needed on a hectic Monday.

I was chatting with the girls and as we finished eating my cell phone rang. I looked at the phone that was sitting on the table. The caller ID said RADU. "Oh my Gosh, It's Radu!" I yelled to the girls. Oh my gosh!!! I answered all calm and he casually asked, How is the blog/yahoo group going? Are you kidding me, that is why he is calling? After a little conversation, he asked me if I got his email with 2 pictures. I said I was away from my computer at lunch. I said, Is it a referral? He would not tell me, he just said, call me when you see the email!!! Why so vague? I still don't know but I guess it doesn't matter.

I hung up the phone and starting yelling frantically at the girls, Oh my gosh, get in the car, get in the car!!! The old lady sitting behind us enjoying her quiet lunch probably thought I was CRAZY! The girls said to hold on because we had to pay the bill. I threw cash on the table and started to head out toward the car. Let's go, lets go.

As I left I called Rick on his cell phone and luckily he wasn't in a meeting. I was so excited to tell him that I think we got the referral call. I told him that I would forward him the email when I got back to work and we would open it together over the phone because there was no way I could wait 6 hours until he got home!

As the girls paid the bill I got in the car and backed it out of the parking space so I could easily zoom out of the parking lot. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to drive, I was so excited. The girls were laughing at me but also excited.

I made it back to the office in a few minutes, no I wasn't speeding, it's just close to the office. :)It seemed like every stop light was taking an eternity.

When I got to the office, I emailed Rick and called him. We opened the email together and it had 3 attachments. 1 word document with information and 2 pictures. Rick wanted to open the word document first and Rick read through it aloud. I wanted him to hurry so we could get to the pictures and he kept reading and reading.
Later, I too read every word on the document multiple times. We opened the picture together and Rick's loaded faster and I heard him say, she is so pretty. Mine finally loaded and he was so right. She is gorgeous, beyond what I could have imagined.

In the picture she is wearing clothes that are way too big for her and she is drowning in them. She has huge beautiful eyes and the cutest lips. In her medical records, she only weighed 8 pounds 2 oz on Aug 18th, when she was 3 months old. So small. I just want to give her kisses and hold her. She is from Harar, 311 miles away from Addis.

She arrived at the orphanage Aug 12, 2008. This means that she has been at the orphanage for only a few weeks. I can't even imagine what that mother must have felt giving up her child. If she only knew what a great life her child will have and how much I already love her. I will pray for her and always be grateful.

Rick and I had to go back to work but it was hard. We couldn't concentrate at all after such excitement. Most of the agents at work have kept up with the adoption blog so they knew I was waiting for a referral. I got on the Intercom and announced that We got our referral! I forgot I was talking to a bunch of agents. They all thought I meant a real estate referral. Lindsay knew they didn't understand so she got on the intercom and said Rick and Amber have a baby girl!!!

At this point all the agents ran into my office to see the baby! I can't tell you what an emotional experience this was. We were all crying and mourning Steve's loss and now people were crying out of joy for a new life. It's amazing how God works and how he brought joy in a time of sorrow. The funeral was today and was very sad. Please continue to pray for Steve's family.

When we got off work, Savannah was in gymnastics/cheer so I texted Savannah to tell her that we got our referral and she texted back... I kid you not...
"OMG Holy POOP did you see it?". I guess "it" meant the baby.
I laughed so hard! She gets her eloquence from me.

Rick and I decided that we should go out to dinner and celebrate.Rick was so happy, grinning ear to ear. I printed out the photo of our daughter and brought it to dinner so I could stare at it. Rick was so cute, Every time a waiter or staff member walked by the table, Rick grabbed them and said, do you want to see my baby? Do you want to see my baby? Ahh...It was even funnier when the guy that refills the tea came by and Rick said, do you want to see my baby? It was really funny when they saw the photo with a black baby and gave us a funny look. Priceless!
He was so proud and I ate up every minute of how wonderful my man is! I fell even more in love with him at that moment if that is possible. I'm sure when he reads this story he will say that I exaggerate but trust me, I'm not.

We came home and set up the video camera so we could show Savannah her new baby sister. She was very excited. I have posted the video below. Rick and I are calm because by the time we filmed the video we had already had some time for it to sink in.

Rick and I both have posted our daughters pictures as our desktop screen saver so we can stare at her. When I look at the picture it feels so surreal. I still can't believe that will be our daughter. I just want to go to Ethiopia and pick her up. Who needs the courts to reopen anyway?

Rick and I can't even explain in words how excited and blessed we feel. We toasted a glass of champagne and a virgin margarita for Savannah. We thanked the Lord for answered prayer and toasted to our new daughter that we will name, Ayana Neveah Boyd!

See the videos below...

Halleluyer, Halleluyer!!!

After only 4 weeks, we have received a referral of a beautiful 3 month old baby girl. More details to come!

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 5...

This is the start of week 5 of waiting for a referral. A lot of people from the agency have gotten referrals in the last few weeks but we still wait. All in God's timing.

Update on Steve...

It is with great sadness that I tell you that Steve Warren passed away yesterday and has gone on to be with the Lord.
I am at a loss for words at this time so all I can say is that he will be greatly missed.

Please pray that God will provide peace and comfort to his family. I appreciate all the bloggers who have prayed with me on his behalf.

Amber

DFW Ethiopia Group...

Almost 2 weeks ago we went to the monthly DFW Ethiopia group meeting. We decided to meet at a Ethiopian restaurant in Dallas and for the first time since I had joined the group, we decided to go with out kids. Adults only!
When we arrived it was a very small place. There was only a few people in the restaurant until we got there. The people were watching the TV to see the Ethiopians that were running in the Olympics. It was exciting to watch.



The last time we ate Ethiopian food, I will admit, I wasn't sure about it. I went with an open mind and wanted to try it again. We got two different dishes. One was made with beef and one was made with chicken. I ordered a beer and the waitress said, "Ethiopian Beer?" "Uh, sure, why not", I replied. The beer was pretty good. It was light in color but had an after taste of a darker beer. I would drink it again.



Ok, so then our food came. By the way, the staff was really nice. They brought the food and the dishes were huge. We felt like pigs! The food comes served on Injera and with Injera. Below is a picture of the plate of Injera they brought to our table.

I found this article to explain what Injera is as it is a staple with Ethiopian food.

Injera is not only a kind of bread—it’s also an eating utensil.

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices as the meal progresses. When this edible tablecloth is eaten, the meal is officially over.

Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten. This makes teff ill-suited for making raised bread, however injera still takes advantage of the special properties of yeast. A short period of fermentation gives it an airy, bubbly texture, and also a slightly sour taste.

When they say it's not only bread, its a utensil, they aren't kidding. You do not get any utensils to eat with. I really have problems eating things with a texture that I'm not used to but I decided I was all in! (it feels like a sponge) I grabbed a piece of Injera and rolled it up and slid it across the chicken dish and grabbed a big scoop. I took a huge bite and it hit me! My mouth was on FIRE! It was so SPICY! Of course, I want to act cool so I'm smiling while I'm chewing. Chew, chew, fake smile! lol. I can't be a wimp, that is not cool. By the fourth bite I start sweating, really bad. It was hot in there, who am I kidding, it was the food. Ok, Ok, I'm a wimp, I proclaim out loud. That stuff is ZIPPY! Here is a picture:



The really dark side was the chicken with a hard boiled egg and the other side is beef. The beef was less spicy so I tried to stick to that side of the plate.

The people were so nice. The DFW group is so big that its hard to get to know everyone but the people I do know are so nice. Its really great that so many people are adopting. The people on our side of the table were new to the group and very fun. We ran out of tables so the waitress had to get a smaller round table to stick on the end where Rick sat. It was so short! It was like he was stuck at the kids table. lol! He was a great sport. It was a great night, good food and good company!



Good times!

ahhh...so sweet!

When Rickey and Jessica visited, they presented us with the coolest gift for our precious baby. Jessica made a plate that is so cute and personal.

The plate has a picture of Africa with a heart on Ethiopia. There is giraffe print in Africa. In the corner of the plate it says Princess in Amharic. On the back of the plate it says, Welcome Home Princess. So cute and special. I can't wait to display it.

Lord, We Come To You....

Thank you to all those who have prayed for Steve and his family. I wanted to update you on what his family is saying. His wife wrote on their blog a few days ago,

" Yesterday, the hospice nurse told me that she thinks the end will come in about a week. That's her best guess based on the signs and condition she sees physically. Only the Lord knows the days He's ordained for Steve."

I'm still believeing for a miracle. I can't stop thinking about how blessed I am to have a healthy family. I don't know what I would do in this painful situation. Thank you Lord for all that you have done for me and I owe You all the glory!

You can visit Steve's blog here: Please continue to pray and be in agreement with me.

Another week down!

Well, this is the start to week 4 of waiting for our referral. It has been a crazy week. I was out of town on business all last week in Austin and Rick played Mr Mom at home to Savannah while she started her first day in junior high. I hated to miss it but Rick did a great job!

As soon as I got home, Rick had to drive to Louisiana to pick up his Aunt who had to evacuate due to the hurricane heading that way. His aunt, Toots, is very emotional because her home still has not recovered from Hurricane Katrina. She has been at our house for the last two days and Rick's sister Dee drove to our home from KC to pick Toots up and take her to her house for a while.

So things have been crazy but it has been nice having a long weekend!