Welcome bags :)

The first thing we get to do for our soon-to-be new sons is to put together welcome bags for them. It includes a welcome letter introducing our family; a small photo album (15 pictures max) with pictures of us, our home, our pets, etc, to help them become familiar with our lives here; a small toy, game or puzzle; and a t-shirt. When they get the welcome bag, they will put the t-shirt on, and the other children will know that they have a new family. :) :/ (both sweet, and sad)

(I had a hard time deciding what t-shirts to get, but finally settled on Carolina shirts, since they're coming to North Carolina.)

Putting all this together for me was so special, and really brought home the fact that these boys will be joining our family. I wrote the letters, saying, "Welcome to our family!" and writing some about each of us. As I wrote about Darren and me, I started by using our names, and then realized - we're not Darren and Rebecca to them, we are Mom and Dad. Wow. It was the same when I put our pictures in the photo album, and wrote on the back of the pictures who everyone is - Mom and Dad. Wow again. These are our new children, for life. It's exciting and sobering at the same time.

Adoption seemed kind of theoretical to me until we could actually put names and faces and personalities to the children we're adopting, and I kind of held my heart in check, I think. But now that I know who they are - my heart has really been opening up to them, and beginning to love them, as strange as that seems, given that I don't even know them. But it's true. I can't wait to be with them, hug them, talk to them, get to know them.

I am so impatient now especially for the money to come in that we need to start the process in Ethiopia, because every day I wait is one more day later that they will come here! After we get that portion of the funds ($4500), we'll have a month or two to come up with the second portion, the final adoption fees and the money for our first trip. I know God is in control, and his timing is perfect - it's just hard to be patient sometimes! :)

(If you'd like to give to our adoption fund, you can go here - http://projecthopeful.org/ - click on the purple "Donate" button, and give using Paypal; make sure to write "Phillips adoption" in the Purpose line. Thanks!)