The Picnic

Ok so we pulled Faithie out of school yesterday to head to AGCI's picnic in Battle Ground WA to meet Almaz the director of Hannah's Hope in Ethiopia. So any of you ever have a plan of how things are to go and then FREAK out when it doesn't work out like you wanted? So... here's our day. I rock first of all, I packed the whole car by myself, filled up the tank, got all the clothes including jammies for all of us but Jason cause well let's face it he's a grown man he can get his own stinkin clothes, went to lunch with a friend I hold quite close to my heart, got my dad's GPS system, and was ready to head out the driveway when Jason got home with Faith. So we get on the road after a Starbucks stop ( obviously) and off we went to meet Almaz. My mind was racing with all sorts of things, what will she say about our little man? What will other people be like? Will older kids from Ethiopia be there to play with the girls? And so on and so forth. So we are doing great, one potty stop at Goldendale and we keep on truckin'. The bridge at Biggs was closed so we went to the Dalles and over the Columbia. THEN we hit a traffic delay, so for an hour and a half we moved approxiametly 4 miles! GRRR. The kids did surprisingly well except for Mikey losin it, so I let them run around the van while I impatiently waited for traffic to move. We could see smoke in the distance and speculated the entire time (and still are actually) about what was going on to cause this kind of delay. So we waited and waited some more, all this time I've planned to be in Battle Ground by 5:45 and be able to eat, play, talk, and relax. So now it's 5:45 and we start to finally move. I was a mess. I wanted to cry but I didn't thank you very much. So we made it and I held it (potty) the whole way to the picnic which if you know me personally that is a major feat in itself! So we get there at 7:10 and the picnic was scheduled to be over at 7. I was determined to meet this lady if it was the last thing I did. So we piled out of the van, the kids took off for the toys, and I anxiously waited to meet this slender, petite, pretty Ethiopian woman who would give me word on my boy. As we walked up to the picnic I almost cried. There were babies EVERYWHERE, no big kids, but babies galore. And it hit me, we are apart of this. This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. All these drop dead gorgeous babies in the arms of their forever parents. It tears me up thinking about it now. So we met Almaz who told us our guy has a big head - literally - (he'll fit in great, I think Faith just grew into hers!) and he's amazing at soccer. He can kick the ball up from his feet, head butt it and pass it off to other players. I guess according to the parents who just traveled within the last month, he's just an amazing kid. So the wait, drive, and determination paid off BIG TIME! I'm on cloud 9 and can't wait to get this kid home!! Oh then we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese (it's) as Faith calls it to play and run off the energy. Then drove home, got in at 1am got up at 5 am for work, worked 12 hours and am now about ready to pass out! One more 12 and then 4 days off! Woohoo. Anyway, for those of you who are praying and are as excited as we are to get this boy home - buckle up cause I guess he's somethin else! :).
Blessings,
Kala