Today marks the one year anniversary of our dossier(LOADS of paperwork) being sent to Ethiopia to start our waiting period. At that time, the estimated wait time was 7-11 months and it seemed as though things were moving even a little faster than that. Now, one year later, our agency has increased the waiting period to 11-18 months.

We never imagined that we would still be waiting at this point. We knew going into adoption that things could change at any point and there would be bumps along the way. Aside from the wait time increasing it has been a smooth journey for us to this point. There have been many families ahead of us that have had incredibly hard roads to travel during this process. We know that we could have tough days ahead as well with court and embassy appointments still to come.

We are just so ready to see her face! I find rest in knowing that this is God's story and not mine. He knows how everything will play out...perfectly.

This was a great fundraiser for many reasons. The best part was all the amazing people that showed up! There were 55 bowlers and from what I could tell, everyone was having a great time! Thank you to those that came out and for those that sponsored Caleb and Corbin.

It was also very successful because we raised $597 just from the night of bowling, not including pledges that will still come in!!!

Here are a few more pictures from the event....

When we originally started this process, about a year and a half ago, we requested a baby girl up to 12 months of age. We've recently decide to raise the age to 0-24 months. We did this for a few reasons....We want her to be younger, but still close in age to Carson who will be 3 on Saturday. We also see a greater need for families to adopt older children. There are so many requesting babies (which is still greatly needed) and not many families requesting older than 12 months.

We know God knows who Cadence is and we are so thankful that He is in control. He has the perfect little girl for us. All we can do is wait on Him.

We are so excited about our new fundraiser and hope that you'll join us for a fun night of bowling! You do not have to live in Omaha to be involved!

Here are the details:

When: March 21st 6-8pm
Where: Sempeck's in Elkhorn (Behind Menards)
Cost: Adults - $15 Kids - $10
What's Included: 2 hours of bowling, shoes, pizza and sodas for each lane.


Out-of-Towners here are your details:

Caleb(age 9) and Corbin(age 6) will be bowling 2 games each. Their scores will be combined and you can choose an amount to pledge for each point scored. For example, if you pledge .10 per point and they both bowl 100 each of the four games you would give $40. They will be using bumpers! If you'd like to pledge please email me and I will get a pledge card to you asap.

If bowling is not your thing, or you're afraid that Caleb and Corbin will each bowl a 300 then you can sponsor a large pizza and sodas for a lane for $20.

Please let me know if you would like to sign up so that I can make sure we reserve enough lanes. My email address is hpaddack2@yahoo.com

We greatly appreciate those who have donated to our adoption...whatever the amount. You are helping us bring home our daughter and we are so thankful.

Waiting for something or someone is never a fun game. We've been waiting for a referral for our baby girl for a little over five months now. We know that the expected wait time is between 7 and 11 months. It seems like we've already been waiting longer than that.

Unlike the reminder of a growing belly that comes along with a pregnancy we have no idea when this baby will come into our lives. When you're pregnant you know about how much time you have to prepare for the new addition. I'm feeling very unprepared at this moment. Our sweet girl doesn't have a room of her own yet....I hope to accomplish that soon.

We know that we serve an amazing God that knows how everything will work out, but it's hard for us to fully trust Him with it. All we can do is pray and believe that He will take care of it.