And He's Off !

Kyle is on his way to DC as I type this. Here he is politely allowing me to take his picture after the curb-side goodbye (thanks sweetie for letting me step out of the vehicle for a quick photo even though you probably thought it was completely unnecessary :o) Tomorrow morning he leaves for Ethiopia to meet his future son. How crazy must a guy be to do this...all by himself? VERY. Very crazy in love with God to trust Him completely that this child was meant to be his son. I love that about this man of mine, you know. Even though "on paper" something doesn't seem rational - he can see past the paper and into something much deeper and more meaningful...and take a risk that's worth taking.

PS) Last night we joked at how much less he had to transport than I did in May. Remember that photo? He still can't believe I hauled 150 lbs. of luggage and a carry-on all by myself and lived to tell about it.

Before he headed out today the kids had a group hug with dad. A couple of them are still jealous they aren't going. Mom's helpful response??? "Join the club, baby!"

Miranda surprised us today by getting ready for school early so she could finish her letter to her brother. She needed help spelling his name and the word "adopting", otherwise she wrote what she wanted all by her cute little self.

Translation (sorry it's blurry):
To: Habtamu
I am so glad you will come home and we are adopting you.
Mom and Dad pick me in China!
Miranda Joy Zhu Dan

Until this morning I wondered how much she really understands about where she came from and what adoption means. Apparently she understands more than I realized.

Chelsea had a secret note for her dad to pass along to her brother. It was sealed in an envelope with very clear instructions for dad to ONLY open it when her brother was with him. What dad doesn't know yet is that she has questions she wants answers to. Questions like "What is your favorite color?" and "Are you a righty or a lefty?" and "If you could have any stuffed animal in the world, what would it be?" Something tells me there is a shopping trip in my future for a fuzzy something-or-other.

Kyle sent me a text just after he boarded his plane this morning. He said he'd met a Lutheran Pastor from Tooele who had lived in Botswana for two years as a child. I'm thinking that's a pretty good way to start your journey...

Hopefully there will be photos and updates from Sunday - Tuesday. Our deal is that he will e-mail me what he can and I'll post it to the blog (just like he did for me :o). Feel free to leave comments here for him, as those will automatically go to his e-mail - and he'll know you're thinking of him and praying for him and his new little man.

Thank you for your prayers - We know there are many of you helping in that capacity this weekend, and we couldn't be more grateful.