MLK Day

"I HAVE A DREAM that my children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. "
Martin Luther King, Jr August 28th, 1963 Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC

Its amazing that the Dream that Mr. King had 48 years ago for his four kids is a dream that I have for my child today.

There are people who don't understand why we would choose to adopt our first child rather than have biological kids. There are also people who don't understand why we would choose to adopt a child of a different race. Those people are essentially saying that a brown child born in Africa doesn't deserve a family or a future as much as a peachy-pink child born in America. That's not only WRONG its IGNORANT and UNJUST.

We've come a long way as a country since Dr. King's speech but prejudices still exist. There will come a day when our child will have to face those prejudices in ways that we will never understand. But, today, instead of being angry for the dreams that have yet to be fulfilled, I will be grateful for Dr. King's dreams that have....one in particular:

"I HAVE A DREAM.....that little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."

We thank God for allowing us to see this dream become a reality in the thousands of families built each year through adoption...including our own!

Books

Its important to us that our child loves to read, and we've been told that the best way to encourage a child to read is to consistently read to them even when they're babies. So...we've gone book crazy! Thanks to family, friends, and our obsession with Amazon, we've accumulated quite a book collection already.



Our books range from "diverse" books including "Afrotina and the Three Bears" and "Jamako and the Beanstalk" (so cute!):



...to adoption themed books:



...and books about personal hygiene (thanks Shannon -- obviously very important):



Our friends Jeff and Jill even got us a story from Ethiopia (which we love!):



We've got a good start on filling our bookcase, but we're looking for suggestions on "must have" children's books. What books do your kids love?? Or, what books did you like when you were little?? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Merry Christmas

Christmas in Ethiopia is observed on January 7th, so people all over Ethiopia today were celebrating the birth of Christ!

I keep wondering what our child's day was like today. Were there any celebrations at the orphanage where they are? Did they get something special to eat today? Was there singing and dancing? Did someone read a devotion about Jesus being born in a manger?

I think about what today was like for our child's birth family. It was, most likely, their first Christmas without the child they loved enough to let go. Did our child's birth mother feel that someone was missing in their home this morning....the exact same way that I felt when that same child wasn't in our home on Christmas morning?

Then, I think about next year. I know exactly what Christmas will be like for our child. There will be several celebrations with friends and family. There will be gifts, laughter, and more food than we should ever eat at one meal. I also know that, next Christmas, our child's birth family will know that the child they gave life is now living in America with a family that loves them more than life itself. I know that they will always feel loss, but my prayer is that will give them peace.

Next Christmas brings hope...and that has made this Christmas a little easier.

First Christmas

Although we were all hoping that we would meet Baby Williams before Christmas, our family and friends were wonderful in including our little Ethiopian kiddo in our celebrations. Every place we went for the holidays, we were encouraged by the kind words and gifts that were shared with us. This is one lucky kid to be loved so much by so many people on both sides of the world!

These are just a few of the gifts that Baby W. got this year, on what I can only imagine was his or her first Christmas:

6 Months Waiting

How many of these "_ Months Waiting" Posts am I going to have to write?!?!?

Today, we're not only celebrating Christmas Eve, but we're also celebrating 6-months waiting for our referral. I have to say, some days have been really difficult this month. There have been some changes with our agency, and although they're good things, any little change can send you in an emotional spiral when you're waiting for the most important phone call of your life. But, we both feel like we're getting the call really, really soon and that has helped ease our minds for this Christmas season.

Besides, this Christmas is really special for us. Its our last Christmas (God willing) as a family of two. So, from our growing family to yours --We wish you a Very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Decorating

Its finally starting to look like Christmas at the Williams house!




We'll give you one guess what we REALLY want for Christmas.....

(if you didn't say "referral" then you should spend a little more time checking out our blog!)

TOMS

What could be better than a new pair of cute shoes?!? ....a new pair of cute shoes that allows a child in Africa the opportunity to get a new pair of shoes AND clean water!!

Mike completely surprised me yesterday with these new TOMS shoes (and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM!!):

If you aren't familiar with TOMS, for every pair of shoes sold they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need. The shoes that Mike bought me are the special edition Charity Water design, and each pair sold will also contribute to digging clean water wells in rural Ethiopia. So, if you have any Christmas gifts left to buy..TOMS are super cute and a wonderful cause!