Happy Gotcha Day Zoey Hiwot!

One year ago today Justin and I brought home our beautiful Zoey Hiwot. This past Tuesday was the anniversary of her "Gotcha Day", the day we first came together as a family. We celebrated by putting Zoey in one of her Ethiopian dresses and going to the Queen of Sheba, our local Ethiopian restaurant.

It's hard to imagine she has been with us for a year now. It feels like we were just walking into the orphanage picking up our chunky baby. I am so thankful that God put her into our lives. Deciding to adopt her was a scary decision. She had so many unknowns and we were also in the process to adopt Chera and Kenenisa. We are so grateful that God made it very clear the path we needed to take.

She has come so far this past year. Our little girl who could barely hold her head up has improved by leaps and bounds. Zoey is the happiest little girl that brightens my mood if I am feeling down or tired. She is such a little social butterfly and makes friends wherever she goes

Although it's been hard waiting for Chera and Kenenisa, our year with Zoey has been precious and we will always treasure it. Happy Gotcha Day Zoey Hiwot!



Our first meeting with our beautiful girl!


Arriving at the Airport


Our Gotcha Day Dinner

They made it!

Justin and James made it to Ethiopia! i was able to skype with Justin and the boys this morning. The plan was for the boys to stay the first night at the orphanage. We both thought it would be an easier transition for them. Both boys didn't want him to leave them, so he went ahead and took them back to the hotel. After all this waiting, it sounds like they are ready to come home!

The boys were super energetic and hyped up about everything. It sounds like they were really excited about their pajamas. I doubt they have ever had any before. It's crazy to think that pajamas could be so special. There are so many things that we are just used to having in the US. I can't imagine what they are going to think about their own room, a closet full of clothes, bikes, etc.

I will hopefully get to skype with them again this afternoon. Praying that they all get some sleep. Justin seemed pretty tired.

1 Down, 2 to Go!

One of our beautiful boys is officially here! Asher Josiah Brown made is debut Sunday afternoon at 1:08pm. He weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and is 20 inches. Both of us are doing great. Although he was a week earlier than we expected, the birth went great. Thankfully everything went according to our birthplan with no medical intervention. I couldn't have done it without Justin. He was so strong and encouraging throughout the entire labor. We are very thankful to the wonderful staff at Clark Memorial and our fabulous Doula Jackie.

A few people have asked about bringing meals. Our friend Emily from our church has organized a meal calendar. You can sign up using the calendar by going to www.takethemameal.com and use our name: brown and password: 111

Enjoy some pics of our first few days with our new little guy!









Some Kangaroo Care with Dad.



Zoey's first time meeting her baby brother.


Meeting Nana


Intense conversation between Pop and Zoey.


Asher rocking his Dad's favorite hat from Ethiopia


Hanging out with Mimi and Papaw during his first day home.


Zoey and Buddy welcoming their brother home.

Official Date!

We have officially been assigned an embassy date! Justin will be traveling to Ethiopia on August 14th with an Embassy appointment on August 17th. It is so wonderful to finally have this. Being in such limbo has been hard. Hopefully Baby Brown, who is due August 1st, will come on time so Justin can have a couple weeks with him (and me) before he goes.

Great News!

Check out those handsome guys! Yesterday we received the letter we have been waiting for. USCIS(immigration) has approved us to bring the boys home! God is good. It was definitely news that we needed to hear. Next, our file is forwarded on to the Visa processing center and then to the US embassy in Ethiopia. We are not completely sure how long it's going to take, but we don't expect it to be too long.
I spoke to someone in Ethiopia yesterday and he told me that the boys are doing well. We can't wait to get them home. Life is about to get extra crazy, but wonderful at the same time! Thanks for the prayers. I will update when we know more.

Not a Fan

As most of you know, Justin and I attend Southeast Christian Church here in Louisville. We are very blessed with two wonderful pastors who challenge us each week. One of our pastors, Kyle Idleman is releasing a book based on a previous sermon series, "Not Fan, Completely. Committed. Follower." The concept challenges Christians to not just be an enthusiastic admirer of Christ, but to live as he lived and love as he loved. We found out last week that Kyle would like to donate a portion of book sales at the book signing to our adoption. This was very unexpected. A few days before we were stressing a little about the continued cost (mostly travel related). Why should we be surprised that God was going to provide?

More than the funding though, we are so happy that adoption will be highlighted. The article in the Outlook did a fabulous job telling our story. I love that the article expressed how we thought and think of Zoey Hiwot, Chera, and Kenenisa as our children even before they became legally ours or lived under our roof. Making the decision to start the adoption process can be very overwhelming. There are so many possible fears; What will our family say?, Can we afford this?, What if the child we adopt has mental or physical health problems?. Can I love a child that is not biologically related to me? We hope that the message of the book will inspire others to step out in faith and let God lead them to something that will likely be difficult, but may bring more joy to their lives than they could ever imagine.

Having our story expressed in an article was and is something that is uncomfortable. We in no way want it to look like we are anything special at all. Thankfully, the article wonderfully focused on God's plan. Our entire journey as parents was led and constructed by God. I know that we are not completely committed followers in every aspect of our lives. There are so many areas of our lives that we could better honor God. Thankfully, he does not expect us to be perfect. If we were, there would be no need for him.

Please join us tomorrow, May 22, 7:30, during a live web cast/book signing that will be held at Southeast. There will be great speaking from Kyle and Lee Strobe as well as fabulous music with Mark Hall from Casting Crowns. For more info about Not a Fan, check out: http://www.notafan.com/

Happy Birthday Zoey Hiwot!

Today we celebrated the second birthday of our sweet Zoey Hiwot. Since Zoey came so close to not even having a first birthday, today was very significant to us. It's very hard to process what a hard start to life she had. We are so blessed that God saved her life and placed her into ours.

Zoey had a great time. She had pizza and cake, two of her favorite things. Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated with us. Big thanks go to Amy and her fabulous cake making skills!

Click on the picture to see a few pictures of her day: