Still no medical July 16, 2009

We are working to try to find out what is going on, but as of yesterday we still don’t have the request for medical for our girls. Other families are also affected. We are now starting to see our travel window slip away yet again. We were told we’d likely travel August. Now “possibly September” and we fear that December might be a possibility. On top of this, I have a bad case of the flu. That doesn’t allow me to deal with this in the most rational manner.  (I’m great on the phone when I have to be, but crash in between) We are waiting to hear from our agency (who has been amazing at keeping communication open) and hope to get more information today. As I feel like I’m about to fall over, I’ll go back to bed. Thanks for all the e-mails of support. They mean a lot. Pray that our medical gets requested.

Jenn.

Back home, but to terrible news July 14, 2009

We arrived safely back in Steinbach last night. We had a wonderful trip and I will update with news and pictures later.

We arrived to hear news that Imagine adoption (not our agency) has declared bankruptcy. We are numb with shock. An estimated 400 families are affected by this. Some of the friends I have met on-line are traveling to Ethiopia right now to try to bring their children home. Others are living the nightmare of realizing that their dreams of becoming a family might be over. Many of these families have paid their fees and still haven’t received their referral (match to a child). It looks like they may never see that money again. Many do not have the funds to start over. I can not comprehend the pain they must be feeling and the shock. We are praying that information would be provided to these families that have so many questions. We pray that the children in Ethiopia who were living in the transition home would be cared for and that the courts and visas would be processed quickly for them in order to bring them home. We pray for guidance for the people making decisions – that the children and families would be put first.

For those asking about our adoption – we are still waiting for the medical request. So far there is no news that it has been issued. We aren’t sure why. Our agency representatives landed in Addis this weekend and are trying to figure out what is happening. It is not an agency problem, but a Canadian Immigration problem. Our visa can not  be processed until the medical form is requested by the Canadian Immigration Commission, the medical is complete, and sent back to Nairobi.

My sister is getting married on Saturday! June 30, 2009

I have all the bags packed! We’re off to Vancouver, B.C. for a fabulous wedding!! My only sister is getting married this Saturday to an amazing guy we all love. Our immediate family is all making the trip out for the occasion and some of us are staying for a week after the wedding for a relaxing holiday in Nelson. I am looking forward to this immensely.

On the way home we will make a quick pit stop in Edmonton. Part of that pit stop involves meeting Jody and her family in person! Jody has been a great friend and support during our adoption and we’re both excited to see each other in person -finally!!

When we return we hope to hear something about our documents in Ethiopia – hopefully that they are done and on the way to Nairobi. Unfortunately some families have run into some problems with the medicals this month and we are hoping that it was just a one time error and not a sign of things to come. Travel is still off in the distance. In the mean time we know that our agency is sending two amazing staff to do the latest updates. We sent a package with them for the girls and can’t wait to get some new pictures and hopefully some information about our little princesses. The wait is getting much harder now – we just want them to be home.

Patience June 29, 2009

This is a pointillism picture I made for my mom for Christmas. She loves chickens and I always tease her about it. BUT every year I faithfully try to find her some sort of “chicken” gift. Three years ago I found a large wooden rooster that was all black and very modern. Last year I bought her an all white wooden hen. This past year I decided to make her a chicken gift. The picture above is made out of tiny dots of ink (made with a 0.5 mm black pen). It’s hard to see from here, but it is really made only from dots that are the size of a pin prick! It is about 12″x18″ or so. Yes, it did take forever, (at least 50 hours) but I am so happy with the way it turned out! It was a wonderful project to have while we were waiting for our referral. It focused my patience in another direction and I improved my skills at the same time! (I know… you think it’s insane… but it’s so relaxing!)

I’m now on the hunt for a new project to invest in – while we wait for travel. I do have a large mosaic of Italian smalti on the go which I should complete, but I’m also looking for new ideas too! I made up my mind today that even if we don’t travel until September or October, I will use the time to improve my art skills and try new things. I love teaching art, but I am always left with unfinished projects. I demonstrate to the students and then spend all my time helping them with their work (which is really so much fun and I love to see them excited about art!). But it does leave me with many pieces that were done quickly and not finished. My new goal is to find some great projects to work on in the next year that I can finish and take my time on. Any ideas?

The buying has begun – I love little girls!!! June 28, 2009

These are for my sister Marsha and my mom- we’re shopping in B.C. after the wedding and I wanted to show you what I’ve bought! Sorry for the sideways pictures. I totally forgot and now I’m too tired to fix them. Almost all of this was from Superstore. I’ve been warned that the girls will probably grow a LOT when they come home. I decided to see what I could find there (our city just recently got a superstore, so I wasn’t as familiar with their clothing). It’s really great! Especially if they are going to wear it for a few months or maybe even weeks. Dave found the little green and blue dresses at Please Mum today and we bought thought they were very cute. I didn’t realize until I came home that they match their rooms. I guess I really like those colors!

More room shots June 28, 2009

Here is a picture of the canvas I’m working on. It’s little dandelion puffs. I painted them in bright colors and then felt that they overpowered the room. I painted over them in frustration, but then some of the girls from work were down and thought it was finished – they liked it. So out came the sand paper and I gently sanded it to show some of the color. It is brighter in “real person”. I just need to hang it and look at it for a few weeks to see if I like it!

The little blankets are for the girls dolls that I ordered last night. I buckled and ordered American Girl Itty Bitty Twins. I didn’t even know what that was a month ago… If you haven’t seen these you have to look – they are so cute! They seem to fit everything I’ve wanted – they are African American in skin color, they have lots of curly hair that can be styled and washed (thanks Jody for the tip on making sure the dolls have hair!) and they have amazing outfits available. I can’t afford said outfits, but perhaps future birthday/Christmas gifts?

This is a poor picture, but the lighting was bad tonight. Peanut took some amazing pictures of our crab apple tree in bloom this spring (she’s becoming quite a photography nut). We had some old antique white frames – voila! A perfectly sweet entrance to their room.

Grad 2009 June 27, 2009

O.K. Now that I know how easy it is to post pictures I’m making up for lost time!! Here are some pictures taken before grad. It was an amazing night. I’m really going to miss this class of students. I had an amazing group of grade 11 students who worked with me on the decorating. Our theme was a Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival.

Hey Ramona and Jody! June 27, 2009

Jody so kindly pointed out that I haven’t posted pictures of my family. Ramona did the same. It was now necessary – we are stopping in at Jody’s place on our trip west and she really wanted to know “who to look for”! So sorry girls. Here we are!

It’s not done, but the requests keep coming… June 27, 2009

The girl’s room is almost done, but we’re leaving on holidays and I will finish it when I get back. So many people have been begging to see what it looks like so far – so here it is! Dave is finishing baseboards and trim, I have painted a canvas for the left wall that is 18″ x 6′ long. A few more touches and we’ll be done! Huge thanks to my amazing mom for helping me with those quilts. The quilt must have been planned ten different ways and I finally got rid of four other fabrics and went back for more of these. The tea cup pictures are hand quilted (I made them a few years ago). I need to make some pillow shams yet too. But so far I am happy with it! It’s calm and peaceful – I love going in to look. The pictures don’t show it, but there is a beautiful crystal chandelier in the center of the room. (an amazing self-help find!)

YAHOOOOO!!! June 25, 2009

The Lehman house is celebrating tonight!! Today we learned that we officially became parents again last Saturday. We passed court. Whew. What an amazing relief.

I wish I could really sigh and relax, but that will have to wait for Friday. Tomorrow is my high school’s grad. The hall is decorated (will post pictures this weekend once the grads have had a chance to be surprised), my speech is finally done, and I have a tiny tiny bit of mark entry tomorrow for report cards. But I’m a bit revved up – I hate public speaking (just love the kids).