Emotional wreck! Can't describe this day better than with those two words. William and I are so thrilled to be saying that we leave tomorrow to go get our new son Haben from Ethiopia! The day is finally here. The feeling is surreal. It's
still not a reality.

The emotions of leaving the kids for 8 days are heart-wrenching. The schedule doesn't stop just because we leave. T-ball games, soccer games, cheerleading competitions, dance class, birthday parties, school
info, sleeping habits, medicines, high school activities, the dog and frogs, school lunches, Book Fair, rest time rules … I think it's all covered, phew. I'm exhausted just writing out the week. The grandparents will do fine I'm sure,
but they will definitely wonder how we'll handle another. I'm sure covering my Mom duties is nothing to the work William put into rescheduling a weeks worth of dentistry with help from his wonderful staff.

But on the grand
scheme of things, we are flying over 20 hours to bring home a new family member which is the highlight of our lives right now!!! We are overjoyed to say the least. I pray William gets to enjoy and learn some of the wonderful Ethiopian culture as I
did on my court trip in January. We are so thrilled to have the opportunity to travel to Mekele. This is the city where Haben is from and I have heard so many wonderful things about the culture and historical significance.

We pray
for Haben. We pray that he will transfer without great anxiety, fear and sadness. This poor child is so much braver than he even knows. He will be moving to his fourth home at the age of two. English will be the third language he hears and begins to
learn. He will be plunged into a culture so different from his own; food, people, noises and sights will all be new and different to him. I can't imagine the adjustments he will need to go through to get to a comfort zone where he can feel loved
and secure. We pray for Haben and all of our children that they will bond as siblings with God's love and adjust to all feel a secure part of this new family God has created for us.

A few of the pictures below show our packing
for Haben and all the wonderful donations from friends that we are proud to bring over. Haben will be given to us with only the clothing he's wearing. We packed different sized clothing, shoes, toys, cups, snacks, diapers, wipes, toiletries and
all the necessities for a toddler.

One of the pictures shows Kaylee preparing for Haben in her own way. Although I noticed she often chooses the darker skin baby dolls (taking after her Mom), I wasn't ever sure she realized
any difference between all of her dolls until this day.

We pray the long flight home is less than miserable with a toddler that doesn't speak English. We are so blessed to have this opportunity to go get him as a couple. Our
friends and family have made this journey even more amazing with all of the love and support in so many uncountable ways. The amount of well wishes and offers for help we have received have been truly unbelievable. We are so thankful to have such wonderful
people in our lives.

We just can't wait for our "Gotcha Day!" Here we come Haben!!!!!!!!!!!!