Typical 2 year old photo sessions!

In all our excitement of planning our trip, we also received our August update from GLA. It is good to see his smiling face. In his update they said he is always quick to smile for the camera --- You gotta love the smiles and expressions he has. It makes me want to squeeze him!!

I'm so thankful he seems to be doing well. I know GLA does a fabulous job with the kids and he's being taken care of but the most assuring thing is to know that God is his comforter, his provider, his Father---and God is always with him.

Plans made to meet Aidan Manuel!!

We're going to Haiti at the end of Sept. !!! It will feel so good to get another step moving, but best of all we get a chance to be with Aidan!!!! We've had our tickets bought for 2 days now and it's finally sinking in that we get to be with Aidan and hold him and meet him!! So in a month we'll get to spend time with our little boy.!! We'll get to know him personally and not just with pictures but we'll be the ones to hug him. I think it will be a very special time. Of course it will make the rest of the time that much harder to wait, but at least we'll have a moment with him to enjoy!!
The purpose of this trip is to get another aspect of the adoption going. Up til this point adoptions have always moved from point A to B to C and so on down the line............but this will allow another aspect to be going on simultaneously so point B to C will be going on with also point E to F--or whatever. So in theory it will cut time at the end of the process because the finishing part of the process will be started already. Since this is a new aspect, there really is no idea of how this really affects the timing. so we really don't have any estimate--we just have to leave that to God---and completely enjoy this new opportunity to meet Aidan!!

Timing

I just had to share some excitement!! Adoptions haven't been going super fast from Haiti--however we knew that since we recieved our referral. Adoptions are taking 9 months all the way up to 18 months to complete (after having a referral)----so realistically speaking Aidan could possibly not come home until this time next year. However there have been a few good things happening. They have been changing some of the process so that if we are interested in doing 2 trips to Haiti, we could take 1 trip relatively soon here and file some paperwork IN Haiti and that could save a couple months off the process. So we said "YES--when can we go?" !!!!!! And now today I was checking out the blog of information for us and this is what it said ..........."I just spoke to Dixie from GLA, and she informed me that the Head of Parquet (District Attorney), has resigned from his position. The Haitian media has been widely broadcasting this news since early this morning. For the past year and a half, he has been making adoptions very difficult in Haiti, causing many delays in the process. We are praying that whoever will replace him will be in favor of adoptions, and will have the children's best interests in mind, resulting in the adoption process moving more quickly." So this is good!!!!.....but we still need prayers that indeed the replacement will benefit adoptions and not further hinder them.

So God continues to open doors and help in this process. I still have no idea, but I do know that God is working it out. Our desire is still to spend Aidan's 3rd birthday with him.

Special Visitors

A group from our church went to Haiti recently, and 2 of the group members were able to spend some time at GLA with the kids. One of our prayers for him is that someone will give him a big hug and show him lots of love each day.......and this particular day he got that!!!!! It sounded like they were able to hold him for a long time and give him some stuff from us......along with our pictures. I just love how he's smiling when he's looking at the pictures. This was sooo cool that we were able to hear about him and it seems like he's really doing well. We got to hear more about his personality and his disposition-----it was just such a special treat. As we were listening to stories about Aidan and seeing his pictures.....Alyssa was saying, "oh, look at him. He just has to come home" She was being so sincere and it just made my heart melt. I know it's still a ways off before he comes home, but I feel like he's part of us and we could have a special moment with him with help of some friends. God keeps us going as we patiently wait.

Summer Time Fun!

He's looking like he's having lots of fun!! It sounds like playing with water is a good play time activity at GLA. But don't most kids like to play with water? Good to hear from them and see his pictures!!! Included in his update was a picture of some of the kids---they had a 4th of July party and had everyone in red, white or blue. Sounds like fun!!! Actually looks like a lot of work to get everyone dressed for a picture. I love that Aidan is getting lots of activities and GLA is continuously doing stuff like that.
Aidan is in the middle---wearing a red hat and sucking his thumb!!

My 2 boys!!

I have these 2 great pictures of Austin and Aidan. It's funny how kids will be kids. Austin got this black lab puppy at Christmas time and he will play with it and take it with him. In fact----he's taking his dog for a swing ride. (Alyssa had markered on Austin's head) and the same week I had taken this picture of Austin----we had receieved some pictures of Aidan. We had sent him a dog earlier in the summer and in our July update GLA said he loved his dog and loved to cuddle with it and took it everywhere. In fact they said he was going for a walk with a care taker and wanted to go back for his dog!! It just makes me smile to think that Aidan may be coming from a different country---but when it all comes down to it---he's a kid---just like any other kids. One who loves to cuddle, have a stuffed dog, and I can't wait to be able to share other things in life with him.

IBESR

Our paperwork moved to the next spot!!! We entered IBESR---this is where all our paperwork is checked out and making sure all documents are correct. Pray that there are no gliches in our paperwork or that nothing was filled out wrong. This process takes about 4-5 months. Of course we're praying for the 4 or even 3 months. :)

We received a phone call that we had moved to this next spot while we were on vacation. It seems like all our news and good stuff happens while we're gone. Thank goodness for cell phones and being able to get ahold of us!!!! I think maybe we should just keep taking vacations and we'll just keep getting good news----right?!!!!!! We had a fabulous time at a cottage we rent up north. It's always a week of relaxing and just enjoying being together. The big hit this year was catching frogs. The kids would catch and 'take care of their frogs' all day long. The poor frogs----I'm sure they will never be the same. We also had lots of fun swimming and having tube rides. This is the first year the kids really asked for tube rides and got into it. Usually they would go---but it was nice to have mom or dad with them. This year they were excited to go on their own and Alyssa was even a little bit more of a show off while riding. She even jumped off the tube because she wanted to go swimming in the middle of the lake!!!

Of course going fishing was a big hit. I wasn't there---but the story was something like Alyssa was fishing and catch quite a big fish. She reeled it in and saw it and dropped her pole and everything because it was too big for her. Good thing Paul had a hold of the line already so he could save the pole and get the fish in. Of course she was all proud then of her fish!!!!

Vacation was a great time of enjoying life and just doing fun stuff.

We're looking forward to Aidan joining us and playing with him next year too!!!

Doesn't he make you smile?

Here is our little cutie!!! I just have to smile when I look at his pictures. He's doing well. His update said he's happy and a joy to be around. Some stats of him included the following:

Weight: 21 lbs 3 oz

Height: 30.5 inches

Adoption status: pre-IBESR.

Our adoption status hasn't changed since we received our referral, so we could use lots of prayers that our paperwork begins to move and go on to the first big step. I know it's all in God's timing.........and that "He can move the mountians"...........so we're praying over our whole process. We're also excited to hear that Bethany has done a couple more referrals of little boys to this general area, so we're excited to meet the other boys when they join their families too!!!!