More Excellent News!!

We just got an e-mail from our agency stating that our file is being taken to PGN today!!!

If you look at our timeline, this is the last MAJOR step in the Guatemalan side of things.

After we exit this office, he will legally be ours, w/ just a few more steps to complete before we can go & get him!!!

Right now, this step is averaging about 2 mo., but, remember, we have asked them expedite our case, so we'll see if it works!

Lord, thank You for going before each step of this process for us, & causing everything to be done in YOUR PERFECT TIME!!! I am amazed!

UPDATE on our baby boy!

At two months 22 days he was evaluated:

Height: 53.5 cm
Weight: 9.10 lbs/oz
Head Circumference: 39 cm
General health: normal, active, with good weight gain, normal cardiopulmonary, soft abdomen no hardness, strong and vigorous crying and sucking, looks around, alert. Healthy!

This picture made me SO happy to see. This, ladies & gentlemen, is Nathaniel w/ Mama Anna, as she is fondly refered to in our home.

She was Ruth's foster mother, & is now taking care of Nathaniel.

THANK YOU, for doing this again!!

This is one of my favorite pics of him yet. Eyes wide open. Perfect little mouth!

Only 2 weeks away from meeting you!!

Also, for those of you in the know about Guatemalan adoptions, we got the news today that we should have our Family Court hearing tomorrow & go into PGN next week!

Once again, our case worker is SHOCKED at how fast this is moving!

Dancing for the Lord

Let them praise His name with the dance!

Psalm 149:3

This is the theme verse of Ana's ballet studio.

Yesterday, the girls put on a small performance for the parents.

(I appologize ahead of time that the videos are a bit shaky. Crabby 15 mo old was in my other arm while trying to video!!!)

Joy in work???? (Replacement Thinking)

Being completely honest here......

I have really been struggling w/ doing the jobs the Lord has placed in front of me for the day. (for those of you who read my previous post about Ana wishing for a servant-maybe she comes by it honestly-HA!!! HA!!)


As I was getting out my Bible for my Quiet Time this morning, the Lord brought an amazing thought to mind. One of my favorite verses is:

"Commit your works to the LORD,

And your thoughts will be established."

Proverbs 16:3

I had always seen that verse in the negative-by that, I mean, He would take away any negative thoughts I was struggling w/, if I only commited that moment to Him.

This morning, though, the Holy Spirit revealed Himself in that verse in a completely new way to me.

HE WANTS TO GIVE ME GOOD THOUGHTS TO REPLACE THE NEGATIVE ONES I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH!!!

He can take my:

Boredom & give me Excitment

Sorrow & give me Joy

Fear & give me Power/Sound Mind

Anxiety & give me Peace

Dis-like/Hate & give me Love

Frustration & give me Patience

All these negative thoughts/feelings I struggle w/ on a daily basis He WILL take & REPLACE w/ thoughts of Himself:

He is:

EXCITMENT
JOY
POWER/SOUND MIND

PEACE
LOVE

PATIENCE

Wow! Revolutionized my day! & I hope I never forget this lesson!

Can you think of any other "Replacement Thinking?" I need a big list! :)

Kim

Sick!

Well, we have all been sick this past week, & Dave is out of town.
Did that stop us from taking pictures? NO WAY!!!

Ruth is learning how to feed herself. Quite comical!!

Ana helped me replace the front door knob yesterday. Got a real bang out of her tounge hanging out in the one pic!!
A job well done!!



Ana, hard at work!!!

Ruth, feeding herself yogurt.

More Good Adoption News!!!

We just found out we got our Pre-Aproval (PA) from the US Embassy in Guatemala. If you look at our timeline, this is a critical step before we can exit the Guatemalan process. Right now, this step is averaging 60 days, & we got ours in 5 days!!!

Also, I went & picked up our dossier from the Guatemalan Consulate today, & took it to our agency. Our case worker was going to send it down to Guatemala today. For some reason, the Guatemalan Consulate still had not sent it to her. But, that got done w/ no problems, too.

Our case worker said that in the over 5 years she's been working w/ Guatemalan adoptions, this is the first time EVER that she has seen PA be registered in Guatemala BEFORE our dossier even gets down there!

God is truly going before us in every step. We feel extremely blessed, especially when we see all the potential slow-downs & hang-ups there are in the Guatemalan process right now.

Things about today I'll never forget:

~Kelly's (our case worker) excitement-readable even over the phone when she called me w/ the news
~shaking 1/2 way to Denver, trying to process how FAST the Lord is moving this!!!
~all of us coughing & blowing noses all the way there & back, since, of course, all three of us are sick
~calling Dave w/ the news, as he is out of town right now!!! The excitement in his voice!!!

Our lawyer in Guatemala thinks that there is a very good chance we will be into PGN by the first of November.

Thanks for everyone's continued prayers!! Love to all! Kim (for all the Dillons)

Adoption Update & More Pics of Girls

We have finally finished all our paperwork for our dossier, & by Monday, it should be on its way to Guatemala. Now begins the REAL wait! I have posted on the side, our timeline & what still needs completing, so hopefully people can keep better track of what's going on.

NOW, OUR REALLY EXCITING NEWS!!!

We have our visit trip tickets purchased!!! And we got Ruth's passport yesterday, so we ARE ALL GOING!!! :-)

Now, what you have all been waiting for: Pics of the two we have now!! :-)

My mom & my aunt were in town for a wedding last weekend, so some of these pics are from then.

Ana & Shannon on a fall drive/hike.

Grammie, Shannon & Ana on their drive/hike

All of us on Sunday morning (except Shannon)

Isn't this a different pic from my darling princess I posted a few weeks ago?

She had gone to the zoo w/ Shannon!

Here she is in her "night cap" she has been wearing every night to bed. It really matches one of her old dresses, but according to her, she needs a nightcap!

I'm so cool!!!

And, the final pic. for now! Our little sunshine! Who has developed another ear infection, & is going back to the ENT in a week & a half to have the tubes checked. Her pediatrician thinks they are not functioning correctly. :-(