Has it REALLY been 5 YEARS?!?!

Hard to believe it has been 5 years!

After a wonderful weekend of being reminded of all that God has done and reading through this blog, I have decided to continue it. If not for anything else, to keep a picture journal that I can always look back on. Its crazy how fast you forget isn't it?!

My oh my... so much has happened in 5 years!!! Lets see..we moved from Ohio to Georgia...

we started a church and have followed God through the Good, Bad, Hard, and Harder...

we moved 3 times all in a 10 mile radius...

we home-schooled the boys and then moved into public school and Layla went to Pre-K...

Matt is now pastor, teacher, wrestling coach, student,and one AMAZING Daddy...

the kids have participated in basketball, brazilian jiu-jitsu, golf, ballet and gymnastics...

We have left many close friends and made many new ones...

We got to witness new life...

We were blessed to travel and see lives being transformed...

We got to love on a precious little newborn for a few weeks....

We have laughed alot and we have cried ALOT!

We have watched our boys become the most loving, giving, compassionate little fellas on the planet.

We can now write a book...maybe many books on Attachment and Trauma Disorders..and I can probably name all the therapists in our community and a few more. We have had three years filled with words like Autism, Aspergers, Mood Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, and Sensory Processing Disorder, but have been so blessed to get to know some of the strongest, most genuine, caring child/family advocates EVER! We have watched as our sweet Layla has struggled to overcome the voice of the enemy...rejection, abandonment, fear...and have had the absolute priviledge and blessing of having a front row seat at God's REDEMPTION taking place in our living room. A front row seat as she is beginning to learn to listen to the voice of God inside her...its's the little things.... "Are you ok, Daddy?" she asked when Matt hurt his back. "Can I help you Mommy?" as I do laundry. It's the hugs, the snuggles, the I love you's, I'm sorry's, "I'll try again tomorrow" It's her love for orphans, the poor and her birth country. It's that deep hillarious belly laugh that WILL make you laugh even on the worst day. It's the sound of her sweet small voice as she recites The Lord's Prayer.

I sit on the front row and watch my boys love.. REALLY LOVE...not the easy kind of love...the HARD kind of love. The love that gives when you don't get anything in return. The love that puts others needs in front of yourself. The love that goes above and beyond your years. The love that forgives over and over again. The love that perserveres even on the hardest days. The kind of love that it takes many a lifetime to learn. The kind of love that ONLY comes from God! The hardest days make the good days so much sweeter.

MY, how are lives have been FOREVER changed. Changed for the better. Changed for HIS GLORY so that His power may be revealed. It is HARD...really hard, but I would not have it any other way. When God changes you..the process is never fun, never easy, and it usually never happens overnight. It's the journey. The journey of reliance completely on Him. The journey of giving up control. The journey of transparency and vulnerability. The journey of sacrifice. The journey of His strength being made perfect in our weakness. The journey of laying down our desires for His. The journey of hanging on when everything inside of you wants to let go. The journey of forgiveness. The journey of setting aside our "good" for His best. The journey of living by faith and not by sight. The journey of trusting even when it doesn't make sense. The journey of saying "YES" wherever God leads. The journey of realizing this world is not our home and living in such a way that our lives SCREAM that to everyone willing to take a look. It is then and only then that we fulfill our purpose for this generation.

If we knew then, 5 years ago, what we know now, would we have said Yes? I pray that we would have. I never would have dreamed this is where we would be, but its so much HARDER and so much BETTER than I could have ever imagined. Funny how God works like that huh?! How can something be good and hard at the same time? When God is changing you through it THAT IS HOW ... and when you take a look around... and know this is what you were created for!

~Kristy

Last Post

I'm sorry to say that this will be my last official post. Since we got home from Ethiopia, I just don't have time to keep up with it anymore. However, if you would like to receive pictures and updates of Layla and our family, please send an email to me at kristy_robison@yahoo.com. I also post pictures on facebook.
Layla is doing well! She is getting so strong. She is trying to sit up on her own and loves to bounce in her jumparoo. She is eating jar food and is getting better with the tongue reflex. She takes a bottle about every 3 hours and her tummy is still so small, she can only take 4oz. at a time. Layla loves to talk and squirm! She is such an active baby!! The boys are loving her! She has no choice but to be rotten, she gets so much attention.
I have loved keeping this blog and meeting so many families through this process. I will pray for all adoptions, that they will continue to go smoothly and that God would Bless You!

Our Ethiopian Princess

Daddy's Girl

HERE SHE IS....

We are leaving Sunday!!!

We are leaving Sunday for Ethiopia! WooHoo!! I am still in shock a little bit. Erin (our case-worker), called on Monday, and asked if we could be in Addis next week. Absolutely!! This week has been such a whirlwind trying to get everything together and still make time for my family. So, to all those who haven't traveled yet, don't put packing off!! 

We should be back on Tuesday, July 29th!!! We are so overjoyed! God IS GOOD!

Introducing LAYLA BROOKE SAMRAWIT ROBISON!!!!

Baby Shower!!!

I had my first official Baby Shower on Sunday. What fun it was! I got the best gifts including Layla's Life Book! What a special time it was to spend with friends who all can't wait to bring Layla Brooke home! Layla's closet is now full of clothes in every size. We have a new stroller, carrier seat, and swing. She has EVERYTHING! We are so blessed! Thanks to all! We love you so much!! A SPECIAL THANKS to Leah, Tammy, Joyce, Ginger, & Janet! You are such special people in our lives!

We have a COURT DATE!!!

We received an email today informing us of our court date on July 8th!!! Yipee!!!! I was beginning to get worried bc I thought we were going to get one 2 weeks ago. Please pray that everything goes smoothly and there are no delays. If all goes well, we should be leaving on July 28th and coming home on August 6th. Thanks for your prayers. This week has been rough!
Love,
The Robison's

Gifts!!!

Some gifts I have received...

Ruffled panties! How cute!

I Love this bib

Layla's first doll from Momaw

Thanks to everyone who has been so generous and loving! You are so special to us. We are so blessed!

Birthday/Pre-Baby Shower

I'm so blessed to have so many people in my life that are so good to me! Last night at CIY, Matt, had a surprise birthday party for me. He had cake, balloons, and streamers. It was so nice. Also, the youth leaders got me a Birthday/pre-baby shower gift. The huge gift bag was filled with Dr. Brown's bottles (the best), bibs, onesies, clippers, head thermometer (got to have), and a soft pink blankie. I am thrilled!!! The youth group sang Happy Birthday to me way off tune, but it's the thought that counts...sorry guys, you sounded horrible! It was such a fun night. I'm so lucky to have so many good friends in my life that are so generous.

Oh...I almost forgot. My mother in law, Beth, is with me helping with the boys while we are at CIY. She is wonderful! When she got to our house on Saturday night, before we left, she also gave me a huge gift bag filled with baby goodies that she got from some ladies at her retirement party. Everything was personalized with Layla's name. A blanket, bibs, burp cloths, ruffled panties, swim suit, and the list goes on and on. Everything is so precious! She already has everything that she needs, thanks to you! 

I will post pictures when I get home.

We are so blessed!!!

Waiting on a Court Date...

Hi fellow bloggers & blog stalkers: We are still waiting on a court date. We thought for sure we would get one last week, but it didn't happen. The court is moving a little slower bc of the severe drought. We are praying that we receive a court date this week!!! We are keeping our fingers crossed. Please pray!

This week we are at a "Move" Christ in Youth Conference in Anderson, IN. It has been an amazing experience. This is my 13th year coming to CIY. I started in the youth group, but now attend as a youth leader. 

This year the theme is "move". Are we going to move and make a difference in this world of lost, hurting, and dying people?? What can I do to make a difference in this world?? The speakers have really challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and do something amazing for Christ. I am beginning to pray that God will use me beyond what I can physically do on my own. That little me can somehow make a difference in this world. I don't know exactly what He is leading me to do, but I can't wait to find out!

Seeking Him,

Kristy

Layla's Room!!

This is Layla's room just waiting for her!
We have actually had it done for a while, but added a few finishing touches today. I got the bedding set from ebay. It was brand new, still in package from pottery barn for only $60! I thought I got a steal. I still need curtains and a rug, but for the most part, it's done. The two oval pictures are paintings of flowers that Matt's gramma painted in antique frames. The rocking chair is also an antique that was passed down to us.It has been so fun working on her room. Just knowing she will soon be in it is exciting!

"A Prayer for My Child"
May you be safe and sleep soundly through the night,
May you be safe as you wake to the morning light.
May you feel love from far away,
May it comfort and protect you throughout each day.
We will pray for you, our little one,
Until our time of waiting is done.
We will pray that the Lord keeps you safe from harm,
Until the child of our hearts becomes the child in our arms.
We love you little Layla!

While We Wait...

It has been so hard to wait these past 2 weeks since we got that beautiful picture of our baby girl! If it wasn't for our boys keeping us busy, I don't know what we would do. They are always doing something to make us laugh...


This is Zai and Bray shaving in the tub, trying to be just like Daddy!


They seem to keep my mind off not being able to hold her. If it wasn't for them, I would have already been on a plane, no doubt!


The boys are looking forward to having a baby sissy. They pray for her every night and even got to witness my excitement when I got the call about our referral. I was screaming, crying, jumping up and down. They were looking at me like I had just lost my mind. Izaiah was laughing and Braylon was about to cry bc I was. They look at her picture everyday and sometimes even kiss her. Zai wants to be my "helper" and even said he would help change her diapers! Bray said "no way"!


Going into this adoption, I often wondered, "would I love this child as much as I love our boys?" God has very clearly shown me that without a doubt, I will! The moment that I laid eyes on her picture, I fell in love. It is so hard to explain, you just have to experience it. I felt like I had just given birth, but just couldn't hold her. I never thought that I could fall in love just by looking at a picture, but you sure can! We have prayed for "little Layla" for so long. We have always known that God had chosen a baby just for us, and that everything would happen in His perfect timing. It couldn't have been more perfect!



Sometimes I get down thinking about Layla growing up without us there, but I trust God! I know that she is being taken care of my wonderful nannies in Ethiopia and that God has His eye on her.



This is Matt mowing, being followed by the boys on their 4-wheeler & race car. They want to be "just like daddy"!



Please keep praying for a speedy court date. That everything will go smooth and we can travel soon!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Look at how adorable this swim suit is...

Matt and I went out for our 6 year anniversary, and you don't even have to guess what we did. Yep, we went shopping for Layla, of course! I just couldn't help myself. We did have a romantic dinner at Macaroni Grill, but I had to go to the mall and atleast buy 1 thing....

An Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (LOL)!!

I saw it and just couldn't resist. It is just too cute!

Shopping for a girl is so much FUN! There is so much to choose from. I really have to remind myself of "self-control" when I want to buy everything in the store!

We have a REFERRAL!!!

We finnally have our referral!!! YAY!!! I can't put into words how I feel. I've been shaking since 12:30 when I got the call. We are going to be parents again to a 3 month old (today), baby girl. She is beautiful & tiny!! I can't post pictures until we pass through court. SORRY! I can't wait to show her off. Thanks for your prayers!!!

Praising Him,
Matt & Kristy

Ethiopia In Crisis

Humanitarian agencies are rushing emergency aid to drought-stricken central Ethiopia, where a sudden deterioration in food supplies has led to surge of child mortality. At least 23 children have died at hospitals and emergency feeding centers during the past three weeks, and authorities say countless others have died at home for lack of treatment. In this first of two reports from the hardest-hit area around the town of Shashemene 250 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports conditions are expected to worsen over the coming months.

Four out of five children in Ethiopia do not get life-saving health care when they need itIt is bedlam inside a tent on the grounds of the Shashemene hospital. Thirty severely malnourished children, their mothers, and assorted other siblings are scattered over the bare ground, with nothing to do but wait for the next feeding.Three-year-old Chemeni is a tiny wisp of bony flesh with black eyes wide as saucers. Her mother, Buqre Hussein softly strokes Chemeni's face, a younger daughter strapped to her back. She says her children are among the fortunate ones."I am glad my children are recovering,” she said. “And I expect they will recover. I am glad to see this."Every four hours, each child in the tent receives a red cup filled with a high-nutrition supplement known as F-75. But Shashemene's regional health officer, Dr. Abebe Megerso says many more malnourished children are having to be turned away."The supply is not enough because we did not know the problem is this much overwhelming,”said Megerso. “And now as the people with problem are appearing, the supply we have at hand is becoming short, and even now, we do not have F-100 and F-75, particularly F-75 is very scarce now."This makeshift therapeutic feeding center was erected nearly three weeks ago when health officials realized they had an emergency on their hands. Dr. Megerso says regional health officials tried to prepare for the effects of the drought, but could not imagine the shortages, and the flood of malnourished children, would be this bad."It is unusual,” he said “We have never had problem before because this zone is known by surplus production. We are simply admitting the severely malnourished ones, and we are referring the children with high complications to hospital. But we cannot refer all of them to hospital because we can create high overcrowding in hospital and we are not well prepared."Ethiopian officials last month issued an international appeal for enough emergency food aid for two-point-two million people. But U.N. agencies say at least three-point-four-million people, and possibly many more, are already severely affected by the drought. Viviane Van Steirteghem, deputy country director for the U.N. Children's Agency, UNICEF, says tens of thousands of children are in danger of starvation."We estimate now, and this is a best estimate, that 126,000 children over the country are in immediate need of this therapeutic care to avoid mortality,” said Viviane Van Steirteghem.The United States provides the bulk of the food aid to Ethiopia. The U.S. Congress approved an additional $100 million of aid this month, boosting the total for the year to more than $300 million.But the U.N. World Food Program estimates 395,000 metric tons of food will be needed to get through the immediate crisis. That will cost $147 million more than is currently available. The WFP's Lisette Trebbi says the way conditions are deteriorating, the month of June is going to be especially difficult."We have new donations coming in, but it is a question of timing,” said Lisette Trebbi. “And we therefore foresee we will have some shortfalls... during the month of June, which will be a critical month, for the population, because they will still not have recovered, we anticipate the crisis to get worse, so we are taking every measure that we can, we are short and will probably have to prioritize the worst and most affected area."There has been some rain in central Ethiopia in recent weeks; not enough to produce the desperately needed bumper harvest in September, but enough to spark fears of an outbreak of water-borne diseases among a weak and vulnerable population.Officials here are predicting many difficult months ahead.
By: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-05-18voa15.cfm

Please pray for rain & aid in Ethiopia!

PIRATE PARTY!

Daddy & TJ trying to look tough! LOL!

Izaiah with some friends.

My Dad & Braylon.

Zai & Bray blowing out the candles

Izaiah & Braylon opening presents!

Pirate Birthday Party!!!

Oh Boy, did we have a party on Saturday!!! This year we decided to celebrate our boys birthdays together since they are close together (March & May). Izaiah had been begging me for a year to have a "pirate" theme party. That is just what we did! We had a great turn out and everyone seemed to have a good time!
It is so hard to believe that our babies our now 3 & 4! It seemed like yesterday we were rocking them to sleep, feeding them bottles, & getting up a zillion times during the night. Now they are getting to be so easy. I miss their baby cries & slobbery open-mouth kisses.
Where has the time gone???