FYI-

Foundation Establishes HIV/AIDS Clinic in Ethiopia

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Jolie-Pitt Foundation has made a $2 million donation to the Global Health Committee to establish a center to aid children affected by tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The center will be modeled after the Cambodian Health Committee's Maddox Chivan Children's Center in Cambodia, where children receive medical, education and social services. "Our goal is to transfer the success we have had in Cambodia to Ethiopia where people are needlessly dying of tuberculosis, a curable disease, and HIV/AIDS, a treatable disease," Jolie said in a statement. As in Cambodia, where the couple named the center after their eldest child, the Ethiopian branch will be named for Zahara, 3, who was adopted from Ethiopia."It is our hope when Zahara is older she will take responsibility of the clinic and continue its mission," Pitt said in a statement. The clinic will also focus on tuberculosis care. The disease causes approximately 2 million deaths yearly, and is the largest cause of death worldwide for children and adults with AIDS. "The fact that poor people continue to die in our world today of TB, a curable disease, because of lack of access to drugs and care is unacceptable," Pitt said. The Jolie-Pitt foundation was established in Sept. 2006, when the couple donated $1 million to the Global Action for Children organization and $1 million to Doctors Without Borders.

We took Isaac to the Circus on Saturday! I think we may have enjoyed it more than him. He kept asking us where the trampolines were?? We did get to see Tigers, Zebras, and Elephants. Very fun.
He loves his sandbox. He makes "wombat stew" quite often. There is a book entitled Wombat Stew my friend from Australia gave him. He puts sand, various bugs, grass and whatever else he can find in his bucket.
We met another family last week who received a referral for a baby boy, four months old from Ethiopia. He is a doll!! This family has only been waiting 3 1/2 montsh. They are very blessed.

Isaac had to put his goggles on and use his saw to "cut" his toy lizard!
Isn't Matt's shirt cute? Thanks Shadley for the shirts!!
We are still fighting colds. Mine seems worse today but it can only get better right?
We have to get out of the house today. My list of errands are piling up.

Rainy Days-Fighting Colds

Isaac had fun picking peaches and raspberries at the orchard last week. Here are a couple of pictures of him. Not sure what the gourds were he is picking up. I didn't get a chance to ask!! A friend of mine asked, "do we eat those?" I hope not.

Isaac has been fighting a cold since Friday night. It has been a very rainy weekend so it is good we can stay inside and heal. I made chicken soup yesterday and apple cake. My mother-in-law picked us a big bag of honey crisp apples. They are incredible!! Matt headed to church by himself today and for lunch we go to eat at Aunt Tara's.
We are watching church on-line right now. If you click on the link on the right hand side that says Resurrection Life Church and then go to live sermons you can watch too!
Matt and I start bible school through church next Monday. It will be my first semester and his second. We are excited for it to begin.
Think Isaac needs a nice steamy bath now.

September 5th Dossier Sent!

Our dossier was sent on September 5th. We are officially waiting for our referral for a boy or girl 0-18 months of age. We are very excited!
Thanks for everyone's prayers

Could it be Gone?

I am waiting to hear if our dossier was sent last Friday to Ethiopia. Hopefully tomorrow we get an answer from our adoption specialist! I can't imagine that we have finally reached the "waiting" stage!
Today we visited the local firehouse. Isaac and the other kids all got to drive and sit in the fire trucks. What a highlight for a little boy! I think even the moms had fun. It was all arranged by my MOPS group. They have been very supportive and helpful. Our year starts again next Monday.
Tomorrow we are off to an orchard to pick peaches and apples with Grandma and Aunt Tara.
More news on our dossier coming soon...

Dossier to D.C.

We are back from our Canada vacation. Here are a few pictures of us in the Bay in front of the cottage and at the Sand River in Provencial Park north of the cottage. Isaac was able to play with all his cousins during the week. In fact, there were five kids there 3 and under! He had a lot of fun.
Our dossier was sent out the last week in August. We believe it was the 25th. We are not sure how long it will take to get back to Bethany headquarters here in GR but hopefully it sees its way to Ethiopia in September!
Isaac started Kindermusik today. He had to go in by himself part of the time with the kids and teacher. Afterwards he said, "I missed you and didn't have fun." I bet he will have fun next week:)
Sissy is here with us this week. She is my little sister who has seizures. She is 26. We are enjoying our time with her!