On their way!

I just got this picture from Joel's dad, he sent it from the airport in Addis Ababa! It's a little blurry, but here they are on their way HOME! I can't wait to see them tomorrow morning . . . it's going to be a long night, that's for sure!

Here are a few more excerpts from Joel's emails throughout the week. I loved checking my email each morning to see how they were doing and finding out new things about my son!

Yohanis gave me a kiss for the first time yesterday. I was really excited to see him do that. I also thought it was sooo cute to hear him say "I love you" for the first time to YOU on the phone! Today is Yohanis' goodbye party. I am looking forward to that. Yohanis is doing really well. He doesn't really know what is going on I think, but he is really doing great, honey. He is starting to say a lot  more as well. He didn't talk a whole lot in the beginning. But you can really see him opening up. He LOVES to play soccer. I mean any waking moment he will play it.
  
***
 

Yohanis likes to give me kisses now, especially in front of his friends at the orphanage :). He does like to snuggle me. He also likes to have his way, which is pretty normal. The other families here are experiencing the same thing.Yohanis is ready to leave, I am sure. He always wants to get in the van. I think he wants to go to America now. The going away party went really good. Dont worry I got lots of video and pictures of it. All the kids just gathered in the big room and sang songs and then ate cake and soda. They gave Yohanis his gift bag right before we went in so he was showing that off the whole time. Something I would have definitely not done ;). I dont think that Yohanis misses Layla at all. He always is very willing to leave and go back to the Ritmo. He does really well traveling too. He never gets sick in the van. He still eats pretty well. He likes injera, spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, potatoes, eggs, cereral, and bread. Thats what I have seen so far at least. 

***
 

Yohanis is doing better with understanding me I think. He is starting to realize I cant let him get away with everything, but it is still hard sometimes. But seriously though he is really starting to love me already. He gives me kisses a lot now. I think he is really excited to see you guys he loves to look at the pictures and say your names.
 

So that's all for now, the next time I post we will be together as a family of 5!! Here goes nothing :)

I was woken up with a phone call from Joel this morning and he had some good news! They were able to have their appointment at the embassy today!! That means that they will get Yohanis' visa on Friday and they will be able to leave Ethiopia as scheduled on Sunday and arrive home Monday morning! Praise God! Thanks so much for praying!

And here's another email update from Joel:

I'm so glad that you got my message. I didn't have a chance to write till Yohanis went to bed. Today we played the whole day and played with puzzles and toys, and played soccer. He is competitive I think, because one time I kicked the ball by him, like I scored, and he got upset with me :). He is still doing so great though. We did sleep in the same bed the first night, but I think tonight I might sleep in the bed right next to his because he is ALL OVER the place when he sleeps. He still does not want to take a bath so I just wipe him down with baby wipes and leave him go for now. I think he just needs a little more time to trust me. And yes, all of his clothes fit him perfect, seriously. Anyway, I dont know if I answered all of your questions because I am sooo tired and I need sleep. I miss you guys so much. I wish you were able to be here with us. I'm so glad that the kids are doing well. Well have a great day honey. Give the kids kisses and hugs. I love you so much and I miss you guys.

Only 4 more days till my son is home forever!!!

Update from Ethiopia!

Joel and his dad made it to Ethiopia safely on Monday morning! I am missing Joel and Yohanis (we are spelling his name like this now since that is how it appears on his Ethiopian birth certificate) like crazy! This week seems to be dragging by because I am just so excited for them to get HOME! Here's an little bit of the email I received from Joel yesterday: 

We are doing great. Dad, Yohanis and I are healthy as of the moment and Dad and I are getting over jet lag. We got in yesterday morning and crashed for a little in our room. Then we
headed over the AAI to get Yohanis. He DEFINITELY remembered me. He came right to me and held on like he did last time. So that was really cool. Dad got some of that on camera but not like we got it last time unfortunately. After that we came back to the Ritmo and just hung out and played with Yohanis. He loves to do puzzles and read books with me. He is eating really well here too. He ate lots for lunch and dinner yesterday. I think I might have him eat
whatever the ladies are making here because it is something that he seems to like so far. After dinner last night we watched 102 Dalmations with another family staying here with us. Then I got Yohanis ready for bed. OH YEAH - he LOVES LOVES LOVES his shoes and everything fits PERFECT! Anyway, he also really likes his pjs. I put them on him last night and took a picture of him because he could not stop smiling after I put them on him. Then I brushed his teeth (actually he brushed them like a champ) then I laid him down in my bed and we both crashed. He didnt  complain at all about going to bed in a different place. He was perfectly content with being with me. I showed him the pictures and videos of you guys and he was saying all of your names to me too. So he is still sleeping right now (5:30 AM our time) and Dad and I have been awake since like 3:30. I think we will try to stay up until 8:00 tonight and see if we can stay asleep all night tonight.
 

Last but not least, pray pray pray that everything goes well tomorrow. We are going to the embassy with one of the other families and we are hoping to have our embassy appointment then, but Gail is not sure if it will happen or not yet. She gave them all the paperwork they
asked for so we just have to go in and find out if we are approved for a appointment. So like I said, pray that we get a appointment and don't have any problems.

I just cried when I read Joel's email! It made me so happy to hear that Yohanis was excited to see Joel and that he wanted to stay with him the first night. We weren't sure if he would want to come stay with Joel at the guest house right away because we thought he might need some time to get used to Joel again. But I was so happy to hear that he's doing so well!

And please pray that Joel would have his embassy appointment tomorrow. There is a chance that the embassy could delay the appointment (because a date on a piece of Yohanis' paperwork was wrong and had to be corrected) and that would mean Joel, his dad and Yohanis would have to stay in Ethiopia longer instead of coming home on Sunday as planned. Thanks for your prayers, I will keep you all posted!

Yohannes is finally coming home!

That's right, we booked our tickets this week! Joel and his dad will be leaving for Ethiopia on the 23rd and returning on the 30th WITH OUR SON!


I can't believe I'm finally saying this, there were times when it seemed like this day would never come and now, in only 8 more days, Joel will be going to get our son! I am beyond excited! 

These pictures feel like forever ago, I can't believe he'll be in our arms again soon! Thank you for all your prayers and support through this long process full of many unexpected turns! 

Snow day!

Last night we got about 6 inches of snow. I was SO excited because it was our first "big" snowfall since we've been here. I absolutely LOVE the snow and missed it so much while we were in Turkey.


So last night after we put the kids to bed, Joel and I ran around in the snow like crazy people. I may or may not have even made a couple of snow angels in my parent's driveway. I felt like such a kid again, it was so much fun!


Then Joel and I snuggled up on the fourwheeler and drove around in the moonlight while the snow was still falling. So perfect. We even took the fourwheeler to visit all my cousins - I love that my Dad's whole family lives so close together. After that we stopped by my brother and his wife's house for hot chocolate. It was the perfect end to a perfect snowy evening. 


This morning we took the kids out to play and I had fun taking pictures. I heart snow!

Hanging in there

When we passed court in Ethiopia and Yohannes officially became our son, I never imagined it would take this long to get him home. It has been 92 days since we first met our son. 92 days! And he is still not home with his family; he is still waiting in an orphanage. And there is still no end in sight.

I am hanging on to what little hope I have left that Yohannes will come home this month. We have had delay after delay with our embassy interview, and the one last little piece of paperwork that the embassy is requiring is still nowhere to be seen! It's a long story and I wish getting that paper was as simple as it seemed, but it's not. 

I'm just doing my best to trust God. It's hard. We miss Yohannes so much. We pray for him all the time. Colson keeps talking about how he's going to share his toys with Yohannes when he comes home and Vienna keeps asking to watch this video:





Introducing our son Yohannes! from Joel Hildebrand on Vimeo.

We watched it twice yesterday after Vienna woke up from her nap. Colson and Vienna sing along to the song in the background and they always laugh at the part where Yohannes says "Daddy." They already love their brother so much, it just blesses my heart. 

It's hard to watch that video, all those memories come flooding back and it makes me miss Yohannes even more. It's hard to even think about him because we miss him so much.

Sorry to be such a downer, but could you guys pray with us for a miracle? Pray for the missing paperwork to come in and that God would protect Yohannes' heart during the wait! 

My amazing sister (whom I am also missing terribly) sent me some encouraging verses this week: 

 

"God...acts on behalf of those who WAIT FOR HIM! You come to the help of those who gladly

do right, who remember your ways."  Isaiah 64:4-5

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a

tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when

heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never

fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

"Lord, you have assigned to me my portion and my cup. You have made my lot secure. The

boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful

inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs

me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be

shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest

secure." Psalm 16:5-9

It's the simple things

Nothing beats going on a wagon ride with Mom-Mom on a beautiful day in Lancaster County, PA! 

I love that my kids are creating such special memories with their grandparents while we are home for this time.

Christmas in Pictures

Joel's little sister, Leah, and me in front of their ginormous tree!

Colson, Vienna and Aunt Leah with Sara.

Cheesin' it

Vienna and Uncle Ryan

The aftermath from above

Vienna with Great-Grandpa Hildebrand

Colson with Great-Grandma Ziegler and cousin Eve

Vienna and Eve

Jordan, Rachael and Eve

We got to celebrate my Grandparents 60th anniversary while we were home. So sweet!

Colson and Vienna with Great Grandpa & Grandma Martin

Reading their favorite book, More Pies, with Mom-Mom

More Pies never gets old

Trying to get a picture of these three was pretty much impossible