The Nunez Story

2012-01-10T10:41:00.001-08:00

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New pictures on my website!

2010-03-25T11:09:00.001-07:00

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Waiting for AnaBella

2010-02-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

Miss AnaBella seems to want to make an early appearance. I'm 36 weeks now..... only time will tell of her arrival.I have so many different emotions because my heart truly can not wait to meet my little girl, to hold her, to smell her, to experience birth, to have a newborn in our home & apart of our family now. Nerves & excitement get the best of me. Then God gave me peace as I came across this poem that I want to share. His timing will be perfect, as always!

Dear Baby, here beneath my heart,
I thought that you may come today;
The timing just seemed right.

But the stars are out
And the moon is high
And sheepishly I wonder why
I try to arrange the plans of God
For now I know...

You will not come until the One
Who holds eternity rustles your soft cocoon
and whispers in tones that I will not hear,

"Its time, my precious gift. Now it's time"

I'll wait for you my sweet Bella!!!!!
Love Mamma!

2010-02-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

WOW, it sure has been a while since the Nunez Family has posted! Its hard to wrap up the last 5 months. I reflect back and so many moments come to my mind! Well 1st of all like always we must give glory & praise to God for constantly having our family in His care! Our hearts have never felt more full as we continue to embrace the growth of our family:) My pregnancy sure has been a journey. Even though there has been aches & pains, I can not stop thinking that God has allowed me the gift of having a child in the womb & by birth. My eyes flood with tears remembering the day when I thought this may not be His plan for me. He is so good & so faithful! He has also brought us so much joy in bringing us a little girl....her name will be AnaBella Rejoice Nunez! What more could a mother ask for, A King & a Princess:))) Like I said we are so full & our cup of life is overflowing!

Our King Josiah is almost 23 months...meaning almost going to be 2 years old! This lil boy blesses us so much. He has taken leaps & bounds in his growth & develop met. We have so much fun getting to see life through his eyes & watching him develop in to his personality! He cracks us up all the time and truly feel that he is our child from birth...He is like his mommy & daddy in many ways! He has developed the most amazing & loving relationship with his abuelita! Because we have lived for many months at my mom's house during this pregnancy, she has taken on the care of Josiah when I couldn't. They are like best friends & its so cute to watch them play together.

Once again we are back at my moms while I'm on bed rest for a few weeks! My husband has also been an amazing caregiver to me & Siah! he's a trooper, always going with the flow! And not to mention the amazing love & support that my friends pour out to me! I am a very blessed woman, wife & mother!!!!! We'll have to continue posting since we are so close to welcoming AnaBella:) Here are just a few recent pics. of our family!

More Summer Fun!

2009-09-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Summer Time!

2009-09-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

We have not posted in a while but that doesn't mean we stopped taking pictures and videos. What an awesome summer! Watching Josiah walk, run, play, and now start to talk (well...jiberish anyway). It has surely been an action packed few months. Not to mention we ended it with our 12mos. Dr apt. only to hear the most SOLID heart beat we have ever heard! That's right...we were officially removed from the "high risk" pregnancy category and are considered a "normal/on track" pregnancy. However, we have refrained from using the word normal because we all know it's everything but that! This is a miracle baby that has been delivered to us through prayer and blessing. We have felt the army of prayers backing our every move as we have progressed in this. So we are officially 12 mos and 2 days. Our due date is March 25th. We are yet to know that gender, but we have only had 1 person say it is a boy. Everyone else thinks it's a little girl. Any predictions?
Josiah is on his way to being 2 years old...that for sure!!!! He is 17mos., but he sure has the tendancies of a 2yr old. His ability to test mom and dad are top notch! He has learned how to cross his arms when he doesn't want something and has made a living by closing drawers and cabinets in the kitchen. He is truly beginning to show his personality. We are in love with his abilities to play and laugh. He laughs at anything that makes a loud noise. Especially when we play basketball in the driveway. When the ball hits the rim/backboard he laughs histerically! Here are a few pics/videos of our awesome summer!

I fix my eyes on you

2009-08-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

This song was on my heart tonight.....

I fix my eyes on You
The author of my faith
Casting aside
Every sin and every weight
I fix my eyes on You
I lay my burdens down
Letting the cares
Of this world now fade away

One thing I ask
This one thing I seek
That I may dwell in Your house
O Lord my King
All the days of my life
I want to gaze upon Your beauty
And seek You in this holy place

All the days of my life
I want to gaze upon Your beauty
And seek You in this holy place

Reflection

2009-07-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Could it really be that a year ago in July, our lives changed forever! Our match day will forever be imprinted in my mind. Sam coming to my work in tears, shaking & excited all at once. Racing home to get in front of that computer, that seemed to take a life time to start and pull up that picture. The picture that captured my heart. There was our lil boy we had waited for, for so many years. That 2 month old lil boy that had eyes bigger than anything I had ever seen:) That lil boy that I got to call my very own & he would know me as mommy! There he was my son, my lil King, My Josiah....that God had hand picked just for us!

My sweet boy has come so far since we brought him home. I now don't question if I can do this mommy thing with a child that didn't know me from birth, because with God by my side, I can! I now don't question if he will love me as mommy, because the look in his eyes tells me he does! I now know that with love, prayers and the security of a mom & dad he will grow to be a healthy, strong, tender hearted man of God. He's here for a purpose & we're so blessed that we get to be the ones to lead him to that calling. Not to mention to be the ones to rock him our my arms, to kiss his owies, to make him laugh & to see all the firsts in his life:) My life was forever marked that day July 18th 2008 with the blessing of my son ~
Josiah Desalegn Ramon Nunez

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

In 14 days will mark 1 year since we recieved our referral!!! And in the past 8 months we have been on a long journey! In the past 2 weeks our little man has gone from taking a few steps from couch to couch to now walking laps around the kitchen!

ONLY 71/2 months!

2009-06-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

We have seen this little boy grow! We have seen him smile, laugh, cry, yell, scream, scoot, eat, talk, and now...walk. It brings us great joy to have seen him go through all of this while in our midst. His heart and spirit are that of a little precious and loving child. He makes all of us smile. ONLY 7 1/2 months???? He is only 14 1/2 mos. old, but it feels like we have had him for almost 2 years! Our lives are filled with the "what's next?" factor. We are constantly finding ourselves saying.."this is definitely the best age!" As I type this as feel his soft, gentle, little hands using my legs to pull himself up, I can't help but look down at him and wonder where he might be had God not called our hearts to go get him:-) But his health is good, his TB medicine is almost gone (TG) and he is figuring out that our house is his playground. We couldn't be more happy to have a little copycat mimiking our every move. His motor skills are developing daily. His eating habbits are still strong. His hyperventilation sounds during meals is now being used to display his appreciation for the food...or lack of! We are making his food and using the "Magic Bullet" to puree. He still wantes nothing to do with crawling so he has resorted to the "scoot". he leans to his left side while sitting and pushes himself in the direction he desires. The most notable action is his recent adventure to walking. He is pulling himslef up on almost anything...couches, beds, pillows, other kids, dogs, etc. As long as it's higher than he is, he is grabbing and attempting to get up to his feet. Then he hangs onto that object and will not let go unless someone is on the ground in front of him. Then he lets go and kicks it into gear while making a groaning sound as if walking was the most strenuous event he has ever been a part of!
Things are well! And here are some pics for your enjoyment!

He Walks!!!!!!!

2009-05-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Since he has refused to crawl for the past 7 months we thought we'd just let him get around another way and...well...this is what he is choosing!

Dedicated to the Lord

2009-05-06T20:28:00.001-07:00

On Feb. 22nd, Josiah was pubically dedicated to God and we are so excited for his little heart. We know he is on a path of greatness and humbleness. God Bless you Siah! We would like to thank everyone for their support and being there for his special day! You came from near and far...and we are very thankful to have you all in our lives!

Siah's 1st Birthday!

2009-05-06T20:19:00.001-07:00

These tell the story!
Enjoy!

A year in Perspective

2009-05-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Just think. One year ago we were just anther family in waiting process of the adoption rollercoaster. No face with our name, no eyes to look into, no picture to pray over, and definitely no clue when we would start the expansion of our family. Well, here we are. Less than 1 year later. LESS THAN A YEAR!!!!!!
And we are parents of the most amazing little king. Josiah Desalegn Ramon Nunez is now 13 months old and growing into a little precious being. His mannerisms are those of a special little creation from a mighty God. The long and treacherous flight home almost seems unreal. All the pain, fatigue, tears, sickness, and scared feelings seem to have died along with the fear of waiting for our new little man! Our lives have only been together for a simple and short 8 months! We have been together shorter than a mother who goes full term with a baby in her womb. We are considered mere acquaintances in the relationship world! But on this day...today and forever...we are family! And we couldn't be more proud yet humbled by the grace of God. To know our price has been paid and we now get to walk life boldly understanding nothing is impossible with God!
Well, I wanted to let you all know that our little Josiah is far from little! He is saying Dada, Momma, Up, and is making more funny faces than we know how to react to. His demeanor is that of a sweet little boy who has been waiting for a mommy and daddy like us to release himself to! Each an everyday is something more. And we couldn't be more excited. We are forever thankful and forever in debt to such a graceful God.

Video~ Grab tissue

2009-04-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

5 months, 5 months, 5 months...I say it over & over because I can't believe it has been 5 months already since this lil boy has come in to our lives. This child has blessed us more than I could ever describe. And even more unimaginable My Lil King is turning a year tomorrow! My heart sinks when the reality of that sets in. So tomorrow we will celebrate his birthday, but today I celebrate 6 months & the miracle of adoption. 2 Countries 1 Family! Gods plan is awesome! Only the author of our lives could know the details of our hearts and then perfectly hand pick our children. (or even create them in the womb) It's sure not a thing we understand, but He knows.
We were not sure how our lives would totally change when he arrived, but we are truly amazed by the heart, laughter, and joy our little king brings. From his simple cooing sounds, to him rubbing his eyes when tired. Every last detail warms our hearts and makes each and every moment of the "paper chase" worth it. To see our little guy turn 1 tomorrow is a miracle. We will have a simple celebration with some local friends and family, but we really want to send a prayer and thank you to ALL the loving nannies and care takers that helped raise Josiah for the first 7 mos. of his life. And for his loving mother who we think about so often. We will always thank you for allowing your son to be placed by God into our family. This celebration is in honor of you and what you've done.
Over the past 5 months we have experienced alot! But none of them can amount to our one special moment when our closest friends and family gathered at our church to witness our little king being held and prayed for by our loving pastor. His dedication to the Lord has allowed of family to feel secure about his health and upbringing. It was truly a special time!
A special family put this video together for all of us to see. Words cannot describe how we felt when we saw this for the first time. To see ALL our friends and prayer worriers holding their little kids is a testimony to how great of a God we serve. To see how God picks all of us one by one and unites us as family...has forever changes our lives. So tonight we celebrate adoption and the lives it had and will continue to bless! We love you guys!

Dadda's Little Man

2009-02-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

"What The.......I've never heard such a thing" Yep! That's right. That's exactly what our developmental specialist said when she heard the noises our little monkey/donkey makes. For those of you who don;t know, Josiah gets SOOO excited when he eats that he makes this enormous hyperventalation sound that sends guests into a quick panic and making all of them race to see who can call 9-1-1 the fastest because they think we have a choking baby. Well, along with our developmentalist visits, we recently encountered what EVERY parent loves....his first cold! Since it has lingered for a longer time that usual, Ana thought she would take him in this morning and see if there was anything wrong. He checked out TOTALLy healthy. Not only did we check on his health, but we also were curious to see where his height and weight had blown up to. Well lets just say he has grown 2.5lbs and 2 inches every month for that past 3 months. He is now 22.5lbs, and like 3,000 inches....I mean this child could tough "High" if you asked him to. We have a Minut Bol case on our hands. (those of you who dont know basketball...ask your husbands...or dads)
Proud of our little beast to say the least. Love you all! LOL!!!!!

Looking Back....Mom & son

2009-02-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

How can it be that its been 3 months already since we've been home with our baby boy!Josiah is an amazing & happy baby. I am in constant aw & praise to God for matching us to him. Gods plan still blows me away when I look back on the journey.
My love for Siah grows daily in a way that only the Lord is showing me how to do. I just read something that reminds me that I too am an adopted child in to Christs family. Praise God that he has no expectations of me....just loves me for who & where I'm at right now. I pray that my heart will surrender to that same kind of love for my son. I don't need to worry about him doing or not doing a certain skill for his age or being or not being at a certain point for his age. I pray that my heart will continue to wrap around the thought of unconditional love for him for who & where he is. I just need to be his mommy, hold him, look him in the eye, connect with him, nurture him, provide for him so he will feel secure, loved and so he will know he is with his forever family! I can't even explain how he has enriched our lives..... We love him so much it hurts:) I wonder if he even remembers anything about Ethiopia & the TH. I wonder if he feels at home yet & if he sees us as his parents. Only time will allow that to be real in his heart as we continue to bond:) At the end of this month he will be dedicated. That just blesses my heart so much. Being able to give this child back to the Lord is the most safe feeling ever. There is a song that I play for him every night its called "In His presence & protection" The words truly explain my heart towards my son & my heavenly Father.... ( I used to not be able to make it through the 1st 2 lines w/o balling, I do much better now:) Its a short & simple song but the way its sung...well it just melts your heart!
Beautiful the evening, we have had a special day...You & me together!
Your a gift of heaven, you have changed my life so much & I thank God for you.
I lay you down in His presence & protection...
Lay you down, in His arms
Lay you down, in His keeping.... in His presence & protection

Since the early morning you have made your music, sung your heart out to the sun
Now the mist of evening has made a dew upon the grass, caught a sparkle in your eyes
I lay you down in His presence & protection...
Lay you down, in His arms
Lay you down, in His keeping.... in His presence & protection

I will give thanks for a life you have shown,
For I am so grateful for all I have known,
And for the life that is yours to bestow....In his presence & protection!!!

I love you my sweet Siah, I lay you down tonight & forever in His presence & protection!!!

1st Hair Cut

2009-01-26T17:29:00.001-08:00

It was big day a few weeks ago. Siah's 1st Hair cut! To be honest I was a little sad to cut those cute curls, but it was time! He was getting quite the Fro & it needed to be evened out in the back. we had to wait for over an hour before we got in & he did great! He played and checked out the scene of the barber shop. Another man at the shop held him for a while too. Everyone was so nice & couldn't believe how content he was just hangin with me for such a long period of time. He was such a good boy. but then it came time to cut.....& it was melt down time:(

He was mostly bothered by the picking of his hair, because it pulled & hurt. ( you should have seen the pout lip...ouch!) But then the noise of the razor they had to use put him over the edge. he got so scared! I don't know who was more traumatised...me, Josiah or the barber?

But we did it & made a big difference, He was exhausted after we left he took a good nap in the car:) Next time Daddy gets to be the one to go:)
Here are a few pics from that day. The 1st is from that morning. I tried to pick out his hair my self. The next 2 are at the shop & then a few after shots. He is such a lil man with his hair cut:)
Enjoy!!!!

Merry Christmas in Ethiopia

2009-01-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

I was just reminded that It was Christmas in Ethiopia yesterday Jan 7th. I thought I would post some of their traditions. I love that we can celebrate the uniqueness of each of our cultures. It makes life so much richer:)

Christmas Traditions in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa. It still follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church.

The day before Ganna, people fast all day. The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. The shamma is worn somewhat like a toga. Then everyone goes to the early mass at four o'clock in the morning. In a celebration that takes place several days later, the priests will dress in turbans and red and white robes as they carry beautifully embroidered fringed umbrellas.

In a modern church, the choir assembles in the outer circle. Each person entering the church is given a candle. The congregation walks around the church three times in a solemn procession, holding the flickering candles. Then they gather in the second circle to stand throughout the long mass, with the men and boys separated from the women and girls. The center circle is the holiest space in the church, where the priest serves Holy Communion.

Around the time of Ganna, the men and boys play a game that is also called ganna. It is somewhat like hockey, played with a curved stick and a round wooden ball.

The foods enjoyed during the Christmas season include wat, a thick, spicy stew of meat, vegetables, and sometimes eggs as well. The wat is served from a beautifully decorated watertight basket onto a "plate" of injera.

Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ. The children walk to church services in a procession. They wear the crowns and robes of the church youth groups they belong to. The grown-ups wear the shamma. The priests will now wear their red and white robes and carry embroidered fringed umbrellas. .

Ganna and Timkat are not occasions for giving gifts in Ethiopia. If a child receives any gift at all, it is usually a small gift of clothing. Religious observances, feasting, and games are the focus of the season.

I pray the your Holidays were blessed:) Love The Nunez Family

9 Month Update

2008-12-30T11:01:00.000-08:00

Josiah had his 9 month checkup yesterday and ALL is well. Let me refresh your minds as to how big he was when we recieved him. His height was 24' and he weighed a whoppin' 16.8 oz. He was in the lower percentile in all categories. Well, yesterday he was measured at 27" and is 19.6 oz!!! In other words, he hasn't seen a spoon-full of full he doesn't like! He is eating pure' from all types of veggies and fruits. Ana has taken on the amazing responsability of making all his food from scratch, well, after it's grown and picked anyways. Sweet potatoe, peas, green beans, pears, apple, and of course rice cereal. This also means that the diapers get a little more interesting after every meal as well! Woohoo....or should I say PeeYeewww! The other update is even more miraculous. Siah was diagnosed as a carrier of TB and showed a VERY possitive result of being exposed to it. Our other update yeaterday was that since he has had NO caughing, no signs of sickness, and no fluid build up, that we get to decrease the intesity in his medication AND we only have to go see the dr. every other month rather than every month! Praise God! Christmas went well and Daddy got an amazing gift from Josiah...."Dadadadadadada"!!!!!!! That's right, Siah said dadda for the first time on Christmas eve! Another gift only given by God! Love you!

The Gift of Time...

2008-12-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

I don't think anyone expected " The Deep Freeze" of 2008, but what a gift it has been in my heart. Its amazing that an experience like this can make you STOP & appreciate so many things....warmth, shelter, food, family, safety, security & time!

This Christmas I truly received the gift of Time. Sam had a whole extra week off of school because of the weather, so we had such rewarding time together. Of course time with our baby boy was the greatest gift of all for both of us. We got to nurture him as he is entering his teething stage. we got play, read books, sing, dance, cuddle, & watch him grow & do new things daily.
I had such great time to reflect too....to see how God has worked in our lives. God has used this gift of time to teach me about being completely in the present. I try my hardest to soak up every detail of Josiah, to absorb these moments of him laughing, smiling, crying, sleeping, eating, moving his hands, grabbing his feet, babbling, cooing...such small things but so big in a mommies heart. I still stop myself as I am watching him, not believing he is my son. I still cry remembering the day I held him. I still take deep breaths knowing he's here to stay:) I have yearned so long to be a mother that I don't want it to slip by. I want to always remember what I truly longed for was those small things. The things I felt I was missing out on that makes you a mother. So being blessed with time allowed us to pause and be still and be in the NOW! I know in the business of the Christmas season it could have flown right by & we would have been off to the next holiday or big event in our lives. But WOW.... we got trapped & experienced our 1st Christmas as a family in slow motion. We got to focus on the Lords ultimate sacrifice of his son as we embraced ours.

God also continues to humble my spirit when I want to jump in to the future of what is next for our family. He reminds me that just like Josiah was planned all along, the plan is already in place for whatever is next.

And as I reflected and searched my heart some more, he reminded me that a few months ago I had written a poem about God's timing. He whispered to me......"Right now, this moment,this experience is my gift to you......Remember"

And so it was the final phrase of my poem.....

"It will be your greatest joy, truly your hearts desire.
A gift wrapped in brilliant color, A gift to finally be a mother!"

This Christmas I really did unwrap my greatest gift:) Thank you Lord for answering my prayers & remembering!

2008-12-22T18:35:00.001-08:00

Message from Sam Nunez:

Click on a video below to watch it:

Josiah's 1st Christmas.
Video Length 5:43
Click here to watch

To learn more about the Flip Video Camcorder, click here.

Siah Laughing with Mommy

2008-12-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

1st Snow Day

2008-12-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Let it Snow! Josiah had his first look and feel (brrrr) of snow yesterday! He was bundled like a little smurf/marshmellow. Being that it was so cold, we did not let him touch it. But today we will let him get a little messy:-)
To update you all on his health...well...he's fine! He's a normal little boy with a spirit that takes your breath away. He smiles and laughs more than we ever imagined. We are very excited to spend this holiday season with him and know this is a special time for our family. Stay tuned for more pictures!!! We love you all! Enjoy the pics!

Update from the Dr.'s Office

2008-11-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

We have been busy in the pediatrician's office over the past week trying to get our basis covered. After our hearts being broken from watching him get his first blood drawn, to praying over the test results, we have one result that you all should know about. With 50 children in the AWAA Transition home and very little resources to general medicine/health care we were warned that upper respiratory infections and other illnesses were common. In America they would be looked at as something major, but there it is something you simply cope with.
With all this said we thought we should give all of you a heads up that Josiah was tested positive for Tuberculosis (TB). We are taking every major precaution necessary and are remaining positive about the situation because it IS treatable and curable. The blessing is Siah is NOT sick with TB, he simply tested positive as being exposed so we are in a very good situation. What this means...
9 months of antibiotics with chest scans every 2 months. His progress will determine the dosage and medicine type. We have talked with a TB specialist and she has warned us to take this VERY seriously, but not be concerned about it spreading. We were told that infants have a hard time generating the strength to cough from the deep parts of their chest where the infection occurs. So spreading it will be difficult. Plus, children's bodies react to the medicine WAY better that adults do, which means he will not have the side effects that usually come with taking this certain med.
Anyhow, Siah is doing really well! Really happy and playful. Loves to grab your hands and stand up on your chest and let out a "Rocky Balboa" grunt/scream while he does it!
We wanted to let all of you know that he did test + for TB and if you have been around him....not to worry, but it's never a bad thing to get tested after the new year if you'd like to be safe. Besides that, just simply do not put your mouth around his.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Enjoying our son!

2008-11-23T21:26:00.000-08:00

Life at home is incredibly different but so AMAZING!!!!! Our love & joy grows daily for Josiah ( doesn't seem possible but it does) He is so much fun & a great baby! He loves his food & his sleep ( who doesn't though:) He is already growing in so many of his motor skills. He is constantly doing new things with his hands & loves his feet. Tummy time is still a challenge but everyday he lasts a little longer on the tum. He loves stimulation...music, movement, lights & listening to people talk. Cereal 3X a day has been very successful. Next week we are starting some new foods Yae!!! Praise God he has moved on from Ethiopia time & basically sleeps through the night. Wakes up a few times but we just put the binki back in & he's out again. WOW! He also loves the car & as soon a we start the car he is out. He does very well on outings with Mom & Dad.

God continues to prove how faithful he is by pouring out his Love & Grace. The biggest way he has done that is through all of you! The miracle of adoption has blessed us & enriched our lives & has allowed us to experience our God in a whole new way. In the last 5 years I experienced weakness, emptiness, lost, confusion & stretched beyond my own will. Only can a loving God replace all those things with healing, joy, peace, fullness, growth & strength! He has moved & rearranged my heart to draw near, hang on & trust Him in a mighty way. And now the very verse he brought me so many years ago comes full circle......
"For the woman who could bear no children now has more than all the other woman," says the Lord"
All that means is that now I have more of Him in my heart by going through struggles & because he allowed me to understand His timimg Not mine....I now have my greatest gift, my son! ( makes you think about the sacrifice of his son!!!)
I pray that anyone that is going through any kind of hardship that you hang on to God! He is the only one that will carry you & give you light! You may not feel like he is there but Trust me he is! Seek him 1st with all your heart mind & soul & let him fill you with his amazing Love! Your reward of peace is coming!

Update and Prayer Request

2008-11-20T00:02:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! We are exited to share with all of you that we are all 100% healthy and energized!!!!! If you've been following our blog you know why I am soo excited about that. If this is the first post you're reading of ours.....God Bless you! The time change and Jet-Lag was the hardest to change when we got back. Our sleeping habits were really messed up and trying to keep little man content was a whole other assignment. Josiah was on ET time which meant he slept for a long time during the days. He would fo down at 2pm PST (midnight ET time) and sleep until 7pm PST (5am ET time). In order to change his schedule, we had to wake him up at 4pm so he could then go back to sleep at a descent hour. This did nothing but make him mad as a hornet! He would just pout and cry because we interrupted what he wanted to do most...well...second most, sleep! By being persistent and making sure we were feeding him enough, we had an amazing night last night with him! He slept from 10-7! Hallelujah!!!! And we are praying he is beginning to understand his schedule and that his comfort levels are increasing!
The other main change that has happened is cereal!!! Yeah for cereal! More filling...costs less! Always a plus! Some people have talked about their children NOT liking certain food or formula, but I gotta tell ya...NOT SIAH! He'll take off your hand if it gets too close his mouth! With his wide eyes and his whipping tongue, it makes you wonder if eating food like a baby would make meal time more enjoyable if we just followed their lead!!! We are doing well and are excited about what the future holds. Our next Ped. apt is this Friday which will consist of some shots and blood tests to make sure he is free and cleat of Hep and any other lingering dangers.

To the families who are about to travel and are running around like crazy to get EVERY LAST item on one of 300 checklists.....relax. Take the general cold and flu medicine for your child just in case, but with 8 families going together and all the support you'll get while you're there...you wont need half of it! We have enough left over medicine to start a pharmacy or 4!!!! Maybe email Rachel and ask about any last minute updates on your child's health or sickness.

:::::::::::::URGENT PRAYER REQUEST::::::::::::::::

Because we know the POWER of prayer and what it can provide, we would like to invite all of you as fellow followers of Christ to join us. For 13 long years our little brother has battled with a vicious food allergy that has haunted him and his spirit his entire life. I cannot begin to tell you the strength of this young man and the amount of faith that swells within his soul. He has been fighting this with sleepless nights and skin burning so bad it is nearly sending his body into shock. I tell you specifics of this because the specifics of prayer is important and can be vital. After seeing NUMEROUS doctors, naturopath's, specialists, etc. He is now at a stage in life where it has been diagnosed as a rare skin disease. With this being said, a simple shower makes him feel as if he is being poked by a million needles all over his body.
Can you all please help us lift our little brother Alex up in prayer with the confidence and understanding that our ultimate medicine and doctor became sin and was nailed to a cross so we ALL can live free and fruitful lives. It is our prayer tonight that you would join us and allow God's name be glorified as He provides one more miracle and heals one more body.

Thank you!!!!

Next Families to travel

2008-11-13T14:06:00.000-08:00

Lets lift them up in Prayer:))))

Juvinall - http://talk. bearla.com/
Armestrong - http://armstrongs2e thiopia.blogspot .com/
Gamble - http://bjgamble. blogspot. com/
Pridemore - http://www.pridemor e5.blogspot. com/
VanWetten - http://yellowblacka ndwhite.blogspot .com/

Welcoming us home...

2008-11-10T12:23:00.001-08:00

Photos of our family!

2008-11-10T00:59:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures for you all to enjoy! Our little king is now home!

We're Back!

2008-11-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

We are very excited and thankful to report you all of you that we are back in Oregon! Yeah! We don't want to scare or bore you with out travel story, but think it necessary to share because it is VERY important for all of you prayer warriors to know how much your prayers manifested during our journey home. And a journey it was!

Our flight out of Ethiopia was at 10pm, which already meant it was WAY past our Siah's bedtime. He had been sick that morning so by the time we got on the plane he slept for the first 3 hrs. Also, you should know that our total travel time was right around 30 hrs. But that means we did not sleep for the whole day on Friday, and not until 1am Saturday night! So....lets just say that our little king was on the verge of exhaustion (literally!) when we got on out last plane.
His plane experience could have been the most difficult time of my entire life! Not because being a new dad/mom was something foreign, but having a sick baby on a 16 hr flight would have been hard for the super nanny! But having all of you praying and the support from the other traveling families meant God was not going to let us down. ( Again Laughners, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, your family blessed us with your support in a special way!) We had nearly a dozen strangers/mothers who come to us and offered their services of trying to calm him down. He was screaming, coughing, crying, pooping, etc!!!!!! Instead of thinking "what kind of parents are they?" or "Keep your baby quiet", they were supportive and caring! After we arrived in Washington D.C. we were DONE! Fear, guilt, sickness, sadness and fear we were going to make two more planes full of people mad....we had enough! But again, it was not about us. It was about God using three vessels to show His power. Somehow, someway we had enough energy. Ana felt like God was literally moving her arms, legs, and controlling her thoughts. She was in autopilot mode to simply do whatever it took to get off the plane at out final destination! Powerful! It was honestly the most horrifying and gut wrenching time we had ever endured during our relationship!
When we finally arrived in Portland we were welcomed by our Parents and few friends who had been there our entire process. Now that we were back the mission was to simply bring our little guy home and getting him healthy. Which leads us to our next adventure....The Hospital!
Upon arrival to Portland, we decided to take him straight to the hospital to get a checked to see if there was anything we could do to help him with this difficult transition. After a few tests they admitted Siah and he had to have a slow drip iv. He has had one long, tiring, exhausting, draining and emotional journey & he was dehydrated. He was also poked several times so they could run tests to see if we could find out what was wrong with his tummy. I guess there is no testimony without at test! After traveling all day & night ( 30 hours) being exhausted, drained emotionally this put us over. There was nothing harder than to now have to hand our lil' guy over to get hooked up to an IV and put him through more trauma. Our first night home with our baby & we were in the hospital. I've never had more of a broken heart. There was so much pain...... it was an adopting parents' version of labor!!!! ouch!

God intervened in the upmost way! With LOTS of prayer, persistence, and love....Siah is now peacefully sleeping in his crib with a calm and peace only God himself can provide!

We have to say thanks to EVERYONE for all of your prayers. They were/are felt and prominent in our days.

Amy Childs!!!...................Often times perfect words come out of the mouth to describe an amazing act of grace, but there are no words our hearts, minds, or souls can put on paper that describe what you've done. You are a special person. Helping with doctors apts, phone calls, arrangements, holding him during our hospital visits, and finally staying the night at our house so we could get some much needed rest. You are the best friend anyone could ask for and your little nephew is blessed to have you in his life! He is excited about what you are going to add to his development. Thank you Amy!

P.S. To all the families we took care packages for.....We have pictures and video for all of you. Please allow us a little bit to get some things organized so we can send you all some quality feedback on your little ones. And trust us...you are all going to be very pleased with the footage of your little ones!!!!!

To everyone that has sent us notes, dropped special gifts off at our house, made us meals, supported us on blogger with your e-mails, texts, sent pictures to make our signs for arrivals and all those that prayed, prayed ,prayed.....We love you all soooooooo much. We truly believe we wouldn't have made it with out you all praying & believing in us all the way through!!!! Our lives are forever changed in the most amazing way because of our experience and now because of our new lil King who will reign in his new house:))))
God bless you all!!!!!!

Love The Nunez's

Headed Home Today!!!

2008-11-07T05:17:00.001-08:00

Hi all:)

Sorry we fell off for a while but its been a rouh couple of last days. We have been sick:( However since so many of you have lifted us in prayer today is a better day for Sam & I. Little Desalegn may have a bug but its so hard to tell at this point, what he could be sick from. So many changes for him just as there is for us. We thank you all for your prayere...God has heard them! Please continue to pray for the journey ahead:) We are ready to be home!

God has also sent us angles to watch over us. The families we are traveling have helped in so many ways. We are forever thankful to the Laughner family. For alll the big and small things they did for us. Including visiting Desalegn's orphanage when we were to sick to go. This is where he came from & they took pictures, video, & brought back info for us. Josiah Desalegn will now have completion to his story WOW!!!! What a blessing for him & us:))))

Mom, Amy & Tracy...Thank you for calling, I really needed to hear your voices!!!! And to the best husband in the world who took care of Siah from the beginin cuz mommy couldn't. Sam fills my life so much, this journey would not have been posible w/o him!

Well, we will see you all soon:)

I love you so much!

Ana Nunez!

--
Sam Nunez

More Pictures

2008-11-04T17:46:00.001-08:00

Please pray for us as we go to the American Embassy today for our final meeting/conference!

--
Sam Nunez

Mommy's Heart

2008-11-04T17:32:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone! It is 3:30 am here and we just got up for our first mid-night feeding. He was very hungry because he ate and went to bed at 9:00pm and didn't wake up til now! Praise God! His schedule has been to eat at 10pm/1am/5am, but we decided not to wake him and just feed him when he gets up and it worked out great!

Ana wanted to post this because this was her journal entry on Tuesday, after we met Siah for the first time. Enjoy!

Embracing my Son….Mommy's Heart:

How do I describe a moment where time stands still. Where heavens part. Where your heart is soo full you can feel it beat in every part of your body. This same heart is so full of love, you don't know how even one more drop of emotion can fit into it.

All I wanted to do was drop to my knees and not just cry, but wale! (the ugly cry if you will) I wanted to let it ALL out before God. Praise you Lord, I have a son….I HAVE A SON!!!! (This was my brithJ)

No matter how much you plan, prepare, or imagine of this day in your heads…Nothing compares to that magical moment of reality. He is real! Nothing has ever felt so perfect than when he was passed into my arms. Desalegn is breathtaking. He is beyond my expectations and at the same time he is everything I have ever desired…sweet, tender, cuddly, eyes that melt your heart and soul!

Many of you know that I have called him my lil' king…well, because he is so content, soft hearted, but also has a seriousness to him…the nurse and the nannies also call him king! Amazing to be worlds apart and we both embraced him as a king. What a purpose this lil' guy must have and even of that purpose was to be placed in the arms of two people that were yearning for a child….then Praise God it was fulfilled today!

Once of the highlights was seeing him smile and even laugh for the first time. And who better to make that come alive than my amazing husband. It was truly another moment where time stood still. Sam found his tickle spot and then we say it…..that precious smile came out and lit up the room! To see my husband hold his lil guy was again….loss for words. And just like daddy, he had a dimple on his left cheekJ

Ah, the day just got better and better as we just ohhh'd and ahhhh'd over our baby.

I leave you with the words of a song written by Christine and given to us from the heart. And since then, Sam has placed some guitar chords and melody with it to bring it to life…Enjoy

"Josiah, Messiah, a baby sent with love;

On fire, desire, a gift from above.

And just as you've provided, your timing is clear;

You see the big picture, oh God draw us near.

The miracles you provide, for the love of us you died.

So we run, we run, we run to your child;

We run, we run, we run to your child"

--
Sam Nunez

The King is in the Building!

2008-11-04T17:09:00.001-08:00

I hope these work! We will have a bunch more tomorrow! Love you!

--
Sam Nunez

Embracing our Son...

2008-11-03T11:34:00.001-08:00

How do we even begin to explain the feelings going through our minds, hearts, and bodies this morning when we woke up. Our excitment levels quickly turned into nerves and anxiety about 30 mins before we met our new little king.

We started like a normal day. Breakfast with all the families, (BEST COFFE EVER), then a 10am coffee apt with Rachel (our coordinator) for an orientation. After another cup of coffee and some lunch....it was time!!!!!

After being told it was only a 5 minute drive from our lunch spot to the transition home, our video camera was on and our hearts were racing!!! Again, there are NO words that describe the feelings during those brief moments as we approached our life changing blessing. Dun-Dun-Dun...And there they were. The big, solid, nerve racking, green gates :-) We got out of the car, took some pics, and entered the courtyard with all the other families.

At this point, our stomachs were eating our liver! AHHHHHHH. We knew what was inside that house and we knew we were standing in the place we have been dreaming of for years. All of our visions and wonders were right before us and we could hardly stand it. Each child was brought out in alphabetical order by the last name of the parents. Which meant we were going to witness 3 before it was our turn. And when that time came, Ana lost it! Her heart and soul that had been poured out over the last 5 years had come forth and she was in a state of rejoice and overwheling joy! Tears flowed as Rachel peaked out of the house with a little bundle of love. Just waking up from a nap he was little confused but had no problems placing his adorable little head against mommy's chest for what would be an amazing moment! His face, eyes, ears, nose, and smell were amazing! Everything we had seen and assumed was REAL! He felt like ours from the minute his warm body was layed in our arms. Little Desalegn is ours!

After a few minutes had passed and our faces were shriveled up from tears:-) we headed in the house and sat down to observe, kuddle, smile, and embrace our baby. We had MANY firsts today! His first smile, spit up (on daddy),bottle (w/mommy), nap (mommy rocked him), and we met his best friend. A little boy who has the same background as Desalegn!

We spent the entire day at the transition home playing and loving on these kids. They are so loving and joyful. Our hearts are filled with a humbling that can only take place in a place like this. Nothing in life warms us more that to see kids play,smile, hug, kiss, and enjoy the very things that God has blessed them with! Today is a day we will never forget and tomorrow we get to bring our little one home for the first time!

If there is anything we can ask for from all of you, it would be to pray. Simply find a minute to pray that our travels and Siah's adaption process goes as smoothly as possible!

We love you all!

PS....we want to post pictures for you all but our internet is DIAL UP.....yikes! So we have limited or no connectivity. We may have a chance to do it tomorrow if we can stop at an internet cafe.

PSS....

To the families we have packages for: We met all your little ones today, but will be giving them their gifts and taking more pics tomorrow. They are being VERY VERY loved by everyone in the house.

Joner Family, your little princess was wearing pretty blue dress today! She was sweet and content! We will keep working on making her smile!

Stagger Family, Million was in a bumbo when we walked in. He is soooo little and cute! When we got there he was wanting to be fed so he let everyone in the house know about it:-) He ate and was content for the remainder of the day

Sparr Family, It was a blessing that we got a chance to interact with your little girl. She was very affectionate and wanted to be right next to Ana all day! She is very sweet and is going to love her gift!

--
Sam Nunez

WE MADE IT!

2008-11-02T13:04:00.001-08:00

Well, its 12:35 am here and we are exhausted after all the traveling. Planes are not made for tall people! God once again led the way! We had baggage limits and weight nazis before the international flights. But when we got to the front of the line, they stepped aside and opened their arms and said welcome aboard!!! Almost like we were using the force to have them step aside! God is good.

After landing in Ethiopia, we had to get our visa's and also had to go through customs....And again, God used His power. Instead of having our bags unlocked and pulling everything out, the airport security grabbed the cart that held our bags and pushed it right through to the exit! Have I said God is good yet???

After we got out of the baggage area we were met by our AWAA travel coordinator. He gave us some brief welcoming tips and tricks about keeping our bags close and not allowing anyone to help with them. After a brief pow wow we headed to the car only to step into weather very familiar to us in the northwest...RAIN! FOR THE LOVE OF........ha!

Anyhow, we are fine and going to get some sleep. We need to get some rest so we can get on with our adventures!

Love you all!!!!

--
Sam Nunez

Plane update!

2008-11-01T13:14:00.001-07:00

You have a Picture Mail from Sam Nunez

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We are on the plane!  Hope this works!  God is good...he sat us next to a gentleman who adopted 12 months ago!  He gave us some great advice!  Love u all!

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Peace & Confidence

2008-10-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Lord tonight I choose you.....
I choose peace....
I choose your way not mine....
I choose to embrace this gift.....
I choose victory for your glory....

These were the cries of my heart tonight & God confirmed my thoughts, prayers & emotions with this Psalm, tilted.....
(Confidence in the Lord)

Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing
You hold my future.
The Boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed I have a beautiful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord who counsels me-
even at night my conscience instructs me

I keep the Lord in mind always.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

Therefor my heart is glad,
and my spirit rejoices;
and my body rests securely.
For you will not abandon me to-Sheol

You will not allow Your faithful One to see the Pit.
You reveal the path of life to me;
in Your presence is abundant joy;
in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.
(Psalm 16:5-11) Amen...Good Night:)

Tomorrow..........

2008-10-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow at this time we will have started our journey across the world to partake in the most amazing day of our lives!!! The feelings are unexplainable, but we have never had such greater joy. Our lil' boy awaits his mommy & daddy & soon we will get to meet. Oh how this day has run in my head a million times...WOW! Only God could have created & timed an event like this! Glory to Him!!!
Friends & Family, we don't even know how to thank you, but all of you have made this experience so much more fulfilling. Everyone of you have touched our hearts in wondrous ways! Thank you for the excitement you have for us, for the anticipation to meet lil' man, for the support & love that flowed in amazing ways, for showering us with gifts & showers but most of all for blessing us with your thoughts & prayers!!!! God has heard them all...Sam & I finally get to bring home our baby:))))) Praise God forever & ever...Amen!
We will do our very best to update as we travel.....so follow along:)

another test

2008-10-29T22:59:00.001-07:00

Testing pics now....

Blessings,
Ana Nunez
www.nunezstory.blogspot.com

When your life is on the go—take your life with you. Try Windows Mobile® today

Test

2008-10-29T22:35:00.001-07:00

This is a test to see if we can post on our blog by email! Check back for further posts!!!!!!

--
Sam Nunez

3 days to go....

2008-10-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH........Ok, well that pretty much sums it up!:)

From Daddy...

2008-10-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Is this real? Are these feelings real? Are the dreams, desires, passions, and yearnings of my heart really manifesting before my eyes???? Is this true? Trying to hold back tears of joy as I write this I continue to ask myself...Is this honestly our time? Can I honestly be at a point where ALL the early hurting, tears, pain, doubt, and anger have faded? Can I really sit back and look at the wanting eyes of my new little guy and say "He's mine!?" Am I really at the point where I get to show a little treasure what love, caring, compassion, fun, laughter, devotion, and hope is? Do I really get to do that? Is this real? The tears are falling........................
The excitment is setting in, but the honesty of overpowering emotions are getting the best of me...the BEST of me. Can this be real? My new little man in MY arms??? Really??? More tears flow.......
There have only been 2 times in my life that I have felt the way I do today. In the locker room before a game with butterflies and nerves ripping through my confidence. And second, on my wedding day. Right before me and my boys took the isle to claim what God had given me in my wife. And now this. A lifelong treasure and sacrifice that is worth every little bit of the process.

Siah...........Hold on buddy, I'm coming!

Just my thoughts and feelings......

9 days to go......

2008-10-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

Wahoo..... We officially booked our tickets yesterday...somebody pinch me!!! Not sure how to put in to words all I feel. I have butterflies, nerves, excitement, anxiousness.... but mostly an overwhelming sense of joy in my heart! My baby boy will be in my arms in about 12 days. God is so faithfull! I can't thank him enough for the gift of a child.
For those of you that are following along, we leave Nov 1st at 7:30am. We stop in WA-DC,( 5 hour lay over Yikes!) then make 1 stop in Rome ( no lay over though) Then final stop to Addis Abba, Ethiopia, Arrive at 7:30pm on Nov 2nd (Craziness)

Well, the packing has begun! The packing lists are long & detailed...there is stuff every where in our house. Poor Chewy, he is so confused:( Keep chking the blog, we will posting while we travel.
Count Down....9 days!!!!!

IT'S OFFICIAL!! WE PASSED COURTS!!!!!!!

2008-10-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to announce that EVERYTHING is official. Our little King is finally coming home! We were notified today that we passed court in Ethiopia and we are traveling November 2nd! We understand that mass amounts of prayer, thoughts, and anticipation were displayed during this time of waiting. Our hearts are full to know that there are sooo many people waiting for the day we step foot on US soil with our new little man!
With that being said...We would like to introduce all of you to our new found king! Josiah Desalegn Ramon Nunez!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Faith Tested

2008-10-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Today I feel a lot of anxiety as we wait to hear if we passed court in ET. All we know it will be sometime this week. So every day I'm anticipating the call. I've already had to "unknown" calls on my cell...My heart seriously jumps out of my body when I see that! God's love is amazing in the things he does to reassure us he is with us.
One of the unknown calls today was actually a woman from a program that we have helped out in the past & she just called to say she was praying for our family today & asked what specifically they could be praying for....Um Hello! Wow, Thank you Lord I needed that call:)
Also while I was working & was calling one of my nurses about a shift and her son "Josiah" answered the phone. Not that big a deal, but the yearning for my son is so intense these days, that just hearing his name melts my heart
None of this means we passed court or anything, but It just gave me some peace in mt heart and reminded me he knows the plan and regardless he will carry us through the rest of the way just as he has up until this point. And that he has his care & hand upon Josiah until we come!!

Last night as my family & I went to church. my heart was convicted that my eyes need to stay focused on Him. And just like I desire for my son to come home so bad. He wanted me to remember that I should desire Him to come back with the same anticipation for the day of His return. That will be a glorious day:)
I gotta remember God is bigger than all of this & His ultimate plan will unfold for the lives of these children to come home to their Families. Just like I've learned & am always learning...All in his timing, not ours.
My sweet Josiah, I pray.....
" May the LORD bless you and keep you; May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; May the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." ( Numbers 6:22)
Mommy and Daddy are coming soon:)

Results of Fundraiser & Statistics

2008-10-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

The sweet families we met. We will all have our babies soon!!! Thank you Holly & Kari for sharring your babes with us. It makes it so real to see them in the arms of their new loving families:)

Over the weekend we were blessed to be apart of a Fundraiser event in our own home town,that a local family & friend had put together to raise $$$ for ET orphanage & Transition home. It was amazing!! We have recently been told that formula for babies in ET is low & its also low in the orphanages where most of our children have come from ( Kids Care). This is so heart breaking to know how much we have here & how little they have there. My heart wants to so bad save them all. I know that's not possible but with people like the AWAA families, the hosts ( the VanWetten Family) & God all things are possible.

Saturday night was a great turn out of families and doners at the fundraiser dinner. Families flew in from different places including our Coordinator Duni & her family all the way from Virginia to come speak on the needs of these children & the need for families to adopt. We also learned that there are 3 other families in the Pt, Vancouver area that are also in the adoption process:) . We had a blast getting to know each other. The VanWetten family did an amazing job putting together a dinner. They also had a silent auction & beautiful slide shows. One was in memory of a baby girl (Julia Grace Alem Joner) who has recently passed away. She was in the TH and caught a pneumonia. The Joner Family so gracefully shared their story with all of us. It just makes you realise how precious children are & even giving a little helps so much when you think that just a little formula, or medicine can save a life of a child that was supposed to come home to her forever family. God has cared for the Joner family during this time & has blessed them again with another baby girl Jalene:)

Well , God is sooooo good. They were able to raise & pass a check to our AWAA family coordinator for $40,000.00! All of that money will go directly to diapers, wipes, and formula for the orphans at the Transitional home and the Kid's Care orphanage.

Please keep these precious children in your prayers &that the ET program will continue to be fruitful so theses children have a chance to have a better life!

Long time friend Theresa

Caleb & Dietrich
Baby girl~ Zoie representing the children back in ET

Nathaniel.....Is such a love muffin'. Too Cue!!!
Duni's son Caleb...what a ham:)
Our wonderful coordinator Duni. She fights hard so we can all get our children home!!
What a night...exhausted!!!

A few Statistics:

The needs of children and families in Ethiopia are staggering. Nearly 15% of children are orphans, 800,000 due to AIDS. Four out of five people in Ethiopia live on less than $2 per day, and Ethiopia is listed in the top 10 countries for the worst human development index worldwide. Only 6% of births are attended by a trained attendant, and one in every 13 Ethiopian children dies before reaching a first birthday.

Newborns dying before age 1, from 1995-2000 (2005)
1 in 10

Children dying before age 5, often from preventable diseases, from 1995-2000 (2005)
1 in 6

Main causes of early childhood deaths (2005)
Diarrhea and pneumonia

Orphans, 2003 estimate (2006)
4 million

Children under age 5 stunted from lack of nutrition (2006)
Over 50%

Josiah's Room

2008-10-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Yea, Josiah's room is done. We had so much fun putting it together. Well I had fun, Sam is tapped out of Projects around the house! He has been such a good sport helping me with all the details of getting the room ready:) We didn't realise all we had to do to prepare for this little bundle to enter our lives. Its hard to believe we really have a nursery in the house. I have envisioned this room for so many years & now it's here!!! All we need now is our lil' King Josiah!

FYI****These pics aren't totally updated because we have been given so many other wonderful things from our showers to hang in his room, but these were taken prior. But the room is done! The pics also don't do it justice, so come by & take a peek:)

Putting the crib together

Thanks Mom for helping:) Thanks Natalie for helping paint!

And of course...Sam has the "BABY force 1's" & "Air Max" on display:)

Our Forever Family...
The 3 Monkey's.....Thats us:)
All his friends await him! Including Chewy:)

"Mom please stop"I had to put him in the crib (Hee Hee)....Not a happy dog~ He is mad at mama:(

Abuelita

2008-10-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

I lost my precious grandmother yesterday:( This is my Dad's mom~ this was my Nonna!

My heart is so sad and aches being so far away! You never truly know when it will be your last time of seeing someone when there is such a great distance between you. But God gave me the chance to see her a year ago when I went back home to CR. And then this summer my mom was blessed to see her again & show her Josiah's picture. Her 1st great grandchild! She loved him so much already and wanted to meet him so bad. When I talked to her on Tuesday she was so excited to learn that we were traveling in just a few weeks and she was going to be waiting to meet him! She said when she st saw Josiah picture in her amazing Italian accent.

" Well, I didn't pick you Josiah, you picked me to be your great grandma"

My grandmother was the most beautiful woman. She was Italian and from Royalty. She would always captivate me with her stories of Italy & the castles they lived in. She was a true Fairytale but so real and so exquisite in her ways. She was graceful, beautiful, classy, kind, gentle and all about Love:) That's where my family says I get my love & mushiness.

She has a true love story too with my Grandpa too. He was the love of her life & now they are together again in the most Majestic Kingdom of all!!!! And know she is with her true King~ our God.

From the begining Sam & I always wanted our sons middle name to be Ramon after my grandfather & its actually Sams middle name too. My grandmother was so excited when we told her this. She said it was like her Ramon was back.

We were so captivated by the name Desalegn that we wanted to honor that too being Josiah's given name.

Well today we want to honor mi Abuelita Gabriela & mi Abuelito Ramon and also bless our 1st son with his name..... Josiah Desalegn Ramon Nunez!

****Abuelita te amo con todo mi corazon, Tu me llenaste con tanto amor en mi vida y siempre me hacida sentir tan especial. Nunca se me va holvidar los memorias de chiquita asta ahora. Solo el hecho de que tu dijeras mi nombre con tu bello acento Italiano me demostravas to amor hacia mi. Tu forma hacer fue muy especial y lo tendre guardado muy adentro de mi corazon!!*****

Su Nieta y Bisnieto para siempre,

Ana Laura y Josiah~ Ramon:)

Another Family Shower:)

2008-10-07T21:37:00.001-07:00

Thank you sweet families for coming out & showering us with Love! We had a blast sharing our resent updates & spending time with all of you. Hope you all enjoyed my Mom's home cookin' too!! All of you hold a huge place in our hearts...Thanks again:)

Have you noticed the theme of Josiah's showers yet...... Safari/Jungle~animals

Love the monkey sign...Its perfect for his room!

Ma & Pa passed down Sam's childhood Christian Mother Goose book. And the Guardian angle print for Siah. We were so touched!!!!

Oh yes, Monkey luggage tags:)

Updates, Thank You & Travel!!

2008-10-07T21:01:00.001-07:00

Today is a day many families across the country have been waiting the last 2 months for! The openings of the courts in Ethiopia has drawn sweat, tears, and sent anxiety levels through the roof! This means that all the families waiting to travel to pick up their little, fuzzy,chocolate, bundles are preparing to leave! And that means US!!! Our tentative travel date is November 1st! That's 25 DAYS....and counting! Please keep the court date, travel plans, and our trip in your prayers as these days approach!

In the midst of packing and praying, our hearts are full for other reasons. As we take a few minutes to look back on this amazing journey, our eyes fill with tears of thanks to all of you. We are forever in debt to many of you who have been there with us through this journey. From prayer - to - showers we know that everyone involved has lite a flame of hope in our lives that will burn in eternal thanks to all of you. We have received soooo much love and respect from everyone. Hey, if someone would have told us that this many people would have been involved in the preparation of Josiah's homecoming....I'd have to say "No way!"
As the time ticks slowly through these days and nights, we simply pray God's hand of mercy and love extends out to each one of you and your families. We have sooo much to be thankful for and we simply want to express that you all are a big part of it. We love you all!
The Nunez's

Josiah's Birthday Oct 2nd 2008

2008-10-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe our lil' king Josiah is 6 months old today. We received our monthly update with a new picture and he is seriously the most beautiful baby boy!!!!
My heart truly melts when I think of how much I love him:) His update says he is doing very well. I just can't wait to hold him in my arms. Just FYI** Sam & I may disappear for a while after we bring him home LOL! We are never going to want to leave his side:)
Gosh I've ran that day in my head a million times....like a broken record & Its still hard to believe its happening soon. Praise God its October. That means the courts open next Tuesday the 7th. God's victory is on our side & we wait boldly knowing ALL things are possible with God!

Well my son Happy Birthday...I pray that in your 7month we will meet and finally be joined as "Our Forever Family"! Your Mommy & Daddy Love you!

September Update

2008-09-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Well here's the latest...... we received our Travel Packet a about a week ago. It's amazing that we are at this point in the process:) This means we are begining to prepare some of the details of our trip. (Let the packing begin )We still have no travel date as of yet, but every day is another day closer to bringing Josiah home. This time it really is around the corner & not 6 months out. There are about 6 families that have attentive dates on October 8 court! If they get approved they will head off a few weeks after that.
That means we are the 3rd family next in line after they travel.........We are soooooo close!!!!!!!!! God willing maybe end of Oct/Beginning of Nov. Please keep the court dates & flow of the approvals in your prayers as well as all the families traveling & of course all the kiddos coming home:) You will all get to meet Siah soon & kiss his lil cheeks off:)
The nursery is finally done too:) So weird to say that, even more weird to know there will be a baby in that crib soon:) I'll post pics of that soon or come by & peek if you want:)
Love & Blessings,
The Nunez's

Another Baby Shower

2008-09-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Wahoooooo, Another Shower!!!!! Thank you Motherwise Group from the bottom of my heart for filling me with such joy. Josiah is so blessed & I know he is feeling the love as well:) He has no idea how many beautiful ladies there are waiting to hug & kiss on him:) May God bless you & your families abundantly.

Here are the hosts.....Christy, Rhonda & Natalie:)The Girls

Food from all our Countries.....Mexico, Costa Rica & Ethiopia!

Seriously! Too cute!!! A Diaper Cake:)Yea! Now Josiah has his own cookie jar:)
Our amazing mentor mom, Dyneen....She is a wonderful example to us young moms!
Me & Devyn.... So special to have hand made gifts! Devyn is so gifted as an artist, I was blown away. She drew a giraffe card that was amazing, & this precious family tree. It says

S + A = J.D.N (I Love it!!!!!)Me & Natalie...Bring on the onesies!Me & Krista...A basket of goodies:) I need all those necessities!Me & Becky, A handmade blanket, sooooooooo soft! What crafty ladies:)

Me & Sarah...Safari art canvas! It matches his room perfectly! (Lions Tigers & Bears) LOL!Perfect! More cozies for Siah, sleepers, socks & onesies....Christy is also the queen of my diaper cake :) A great way to begin the diaper collection before we travel!More hand made treasures....Wonderful blanketsThis one is for me...sorry Siah, its so pretty:)Rhonda was the master of all the food, desserts & decor for the party, She's super woman, she does it all!!!! ( so gifted)I am blessed beyond measure! God gets all the glory for this journey & uniting our family together. He is the creator of all our families. All of your children have been handpicked by Him just the same. His craftsmanship of families is priceless. Praise Him for his wonders:)

Nunez Family Shower

2008-09-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

Yea!!!!!! Josiah's Coming:)

Kennan is amazing, she made our cake.....what a gift!!!!! Thank you:)
Thanks guys for opening up your home, hosting & sharing your love w/us:)

The whole gang!
Love all the books:)
Ma & Pa
Josiah's 1st Bible....Thanks Ma & Pa. (precious)

Sista's & Kennan Ladies
Fellas
Thank you Abuelo y Abuela! Sam's Favorite Gift so far:)

We had a blas & felt so honored. We love our families:) Thank you all so much!!!!

Our crib & info on it.

2008-09-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yea!!!!!!!!!!! Our Crib came a few days ago:) We are so excited to put it together.
A few people have been asking about the crib so here is a lil' bit of info......

Its actually a crib that grows w/the child for 7 years. Its starts round as a bassinet & it keeps extending out to... a crib, toddler bed & junior bed...then when they are all done it splits, in to 2 half circles chairs. Cool huh! I did a lot of studying on it & finally made the decision. It's spendy but also an investment for may years & for the next kiddo's to come:)
The Company is called STOKKE. They make about 5 things ( highchair, stroller ect..) & they are all created to grow with a child.
Hope that helps:)

Sharing the news!

2008-08-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Snuck in to Jax auditions to share my most precious news about Josiah w/my closest friends:) Love ya girls! Not to mention the 2 new soon to be mommies in the pic! Yea Baby Mav & Douglas!!!!

Josiah's Crib

2008-08-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneek peek.......

Wahoo!!!!! We Got Josiah's crib today! Mi Papa~(who is in Costa Rica) has been so excited about his grandson that he so graciously bought us Josiah's crib. Its has blessed me so much that he has wanted to take part of Josiah's life being so far away. He plans to come visit after we get Siah home too. Its so cute because he wants to make sure that Josiah knows him as his "Nonno" Which is grandpa in Italian:)
So we thank you Nonno!!!!!
Love,
Sam & Ana & Josiah

We Have A Birth Date

2008-08-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our Precious Josiah is 4 months, actually almost 5 in a few weeks. WOW!! His Birth date is April ~2nd~2008.

And the Winner is.............My Brother Chad w/an April 2nd B-day..................Sister Annie came in second w/an April 4th B-day LOL!!!

This news made us so happy to know his official B-day, it just feels complete! So now we can celebrate the day that the Lord picked for him:) Gosh he is such a Big Boy already!

Chk back soon, because we are getting more info. on an expected Travel time. Please continue to pray for baby's health & That we can bring him home quickly:)

Another quick note..... I have my first official Baby shower today....I am so super excited. I feel like I need to be pinched, Is this is really for us? WOW! I am over filled w/JOY!!!! There are more showers to come & can't wait to celebrate w/all of you that have supported us through this journey. Thank you My sweet "Apples of Gold" group for my shower today:)
Thank you all for your constant support!
Love & Blessings,
Sam & Ana Nunez

God's Timing

2008-08-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

My Dearest Son,
I wrote this as I was waiting on God to reveal your sweet face to us. He truly carried me when I was weary. His timing is perfect & His blessings are amazing!

God’s timing is a funny thing.
An interesting, peculiar funny thing.

It has no rhyme or reason, or an answer to its way’s,
But, God sees what lies ahead for us as we trust him day to day

If you allow His perfect time to captivate your soul,
It will gracefully fall upon you & richly bless your role.

Its character is discovered through our trials and our pain.
But it’s been said TIME can heal, and you realize there is no one to blame

As you’re consumed by His timing, there is a stillness that seems to linger
Your clouded vision only sees that your dream will slip between your fingers

Slow down my love and take God’s hand
He’ll lead you to your hearts desires.

So much He wants to show you child
Please walk along His side a while

God sets a steady pace for you,
And hopes you don’t rush by

Our dancing hearts leap ahead
We run & run and wave goodbye.

There is a path that’s meant for us with a time, a date & place
Walk and discover treasure, run and you will loose this race

The blessings you will miss by racing His perfect time.
A wall is what you’ll come across, but still you begin to climb

Hanging on with all your might, just to gain a little ground,
Grasping on to your “perfect” plan…what an empty hollow sound

Exhausted you let go & give up the mighty fight
Your back where you started, what a shameful sight

You slumber in to a little ball, embarrassed like a child
“Let me dry those tears my love, and hold you for a while”

Love & Grace show up and fill your empty soul
Thank you Jesus for your ways, not mine, not mine at all!

Its through the same mistakes, we learn to wait on Him.
Embrace the pain, break through the wall & let him come on

His precious ways are higher & greater than what we can imagine
Like a kiss that was blown to you from you’re Truest & Highest companion

God’s time can be refreshing if we let it stand in its perfect place
Let Gods timing unfold with in you,So this time you can win the race

It will be your greatest joy, truly your hearts desire,
A gift wrapped up in brilliant color……

The gift to finally be a mother! ( It was worth the wait)

INJERA BREAD

2008-08-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

INJERA
This sour, spongy bread is astaple of Ethiopian cooking and is served at nearly every meal. InEthiopia, injera dough is made from a sourdough starter and teff (agrain that is often available at health food stores and organicstores in the United States) and is allowed to ferment for threedays. My version maintains the nature of injera but streamlines it tobe doable in American kitchens by offering the option to substitutewhole-wheat flour for teff flour, adding baking soda for leavening inplace of the traditional starter, and using yogurt to add thecharacteristic sourness."

Ingredients: 2 cups teff flour or whole-wheat flour (don't use stone-ground flour)1 cup all-purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon salt1/2 cup plain yogurt3 cups club soda2 tablespoons clarified butter (see page 2) Directions: Whisk together the teff, flour, baking soda, and salt in a largebowl. Whisk the yogurt into the club soda, then stir into the flourmixture to make a smooth, think batter. Strain through a sieve orstrainer to remove any lumps. Grease a large skillet with clarified butter and heat over medium-high heat. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into the pan in a spira, startingat the center, and cook for 20 seconds. Put a lid on the pan and cookfor an additional 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cover with acloth to keep warm while you cook the remaining injera. Makes 12 Flatbreads.

Ingera is made from a cereal grain that is unique known as Tef. Though t'efs is unique to Ethiopia it is diverse in color and habitat. Tef is a member of the grass genus Eragrostis or lovegrass. T'ef will grow in many areas it is not an easy crop to farm. One problem in particular is that the weight of the grain bends the stem to the ground.
Fortunately for the Ethiopian Jews ( and all Ethiopians) depends on Tef Ingera, as a staple of their diet. Tef is nutritional miracle food. It contains two to three times the iron of wheat or barley. The calcium, potassium and other essential minerals are also many times what would be found in an equal amount of other grains. Tef has 14% protein, 3% fat and 81% complex carbohydrate.
Tef is the only grain to have symbiotic yeast. Like grapes, the yeast is on the grain so no yeast is added in the preparation of ingera.
Tef is milled to flour and made into batter. the batter is allowed to sit so the yeast can become active. When the batter is ready it is poured on a large flat oven and allowed to cook. This process is much harder than it sounds and it is recommended buying from an Ethiopian Market or Restaurant in your area. Make sure it is Tef Ingera not a substitute Western grains.

The most updated list!

2008-08-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

If your following along these are the stages the America World Families are at. If you have a chance, please keep them in your prayers. I remember when our name use to be at the end of this list. Amazing we are in the "waiting for a court date" category now! Trying to stay faithfull & strong as we continue to wait on God's timming! As soon as we have an aproved court date we will attaching Josiah's pics. We can't wait to share him with you all:) Love & Blessings

Traveling August 8-16:
Ducommun, Cox ,Moles, Moutsos

A chance at court August 6:
Wempe,Wistrom, Schmidt, VanWetten

Waiting for court:
Redfern,Lusse,Hutchinson,Laughner,Britton,Nunez,Hammond,Caldwell,Joner

Have referral -finishing paperchase:
VioletteTaylor

Top 10: ( that we know of)
Tennant,Juvinall,Forrest,Howley, Gamble,Witter,Sloniger,Stager,Pridemore,Savage

Meaning of our lil' one's name...

2008-07-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

Josiah- The fire of the Lord
His history is contained in 2 Kings 22, 23. He stands foremost among all the kings of the line of David for unswerving loyalty to Jehovah (23:25).
He “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father.” He ascended the throne at the early age of eight years, At that age he devoted himself to
God. (2 Chronicles 34:3; comp. Jeremiah 25:3, 11, 29).

Desalegn- I am happy!! :)

Another Update

2008-07-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

We wanted to give you all an update about how this whole referral process has worked. In our own minds, we thought that Ana would get the phone call while Sam was at work and she would find some creative way to tell me when I got home. Well.........not so much! About 3 weeks prior to being matched, our agency notified us that the volume of applicants was increasing and the process was being slowed. Trying to change the frame of mind we were in was no easy task. We had set our hearts on starting our families by this summer/early fall, but now it seemed very unlikely. With minimal referrals occurring with our agency and families having to wait longer than expected, we began to change our way of thinking to NOT get our hopes up...

But who says our God can't change that?

At 2:35pm, July 18th 2008, our lives changed! Sam was at home playing his guitar and trying to become the next Carlos Santana...haha...when the phone rang. Thinking nothing of it, he slowly picked it up and noticed the caller ID said America Wo...it cut off the last part of the name. This put him in a state of shock. He thought they were wanting him to update paperwork since we had been in the process for over a year (which is not uncommon). But within a minute his cell phone rang, and sure enough it was the agency rep calling to relay some awesome news!

She asked, "Is this Samuel?" and then she said "Is Ana with you?"...Right then my heart shot through my esophagus and straight into my stomach. It was pounding LOUD and HARD! She went on to tell me that they had our referral and that they were going to email it to us in the next 5 mins. Not knowing what to do, Sam dropped to his knees and began to cry. His emotions had overcome his state of feeling and he was about to go relay the best news of his life.

Telling Ana........

This was the most difficult drive I ever had to make. Ana was at work at a nearby mall, and she was with a customer when I arrived. I didn't know what to do, how to get her away, what to say, how to explain it, so I simply asked her manager to release her for a second. I then told her I could not tell her inside of the store, so we stepped outside. I then looked her in the face and said "Babe guess what??? We got matched!!! We got our referral!!!" Ana freaked out!

Opening the E-mail....When we got home we both ran upstairs to our computer and anxiously tried to log-in as fast as we could. Wanting to capture it all on tape, we set up the video recorder as we opened the email. After seeing the initial letter we clicked through the links that eventually led to a big-eyed, gentle little boy, who's eyes were calling out to us to come get him. He was ours...all ours! After we cried and walked around our house shocked, we celebrated the addition of our new baby GIRL!....but then some confusion took place....

After sending an email to our agency thanking them for our new baby girl, they replied with an email stating they were sorry for the confusion, but little Desalegn was a baby BOY! Here we go!...since this was a Friday, the agency closed until Monday morning. Friday-Sunday were the longest 2.5 days of our lives! After talking with the agency, we got the confirmation that he is indeed a boy and that we could be confident in that. So in one weekend we had a little baby girl and boy! HAHA!

We now find ourselves in a position we are VERY familiar with....WAITING! Since the courts in Ethiopia close for a period of time at the end of each summer, we cannot get anything finalized until they re-open in the fall. So we are in the midst of celebrating, preparing, chatting, blogging, and crying (of course, well Ana anyways). We hope this clears some questions you all may have!

The Wait is OVER!!! We Got Matched!!!!

2008-07-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

( these pics were after we told our friends & family)

On July 18th at 2:35pm, we recieved our referral from AWAA! We are excited and there is more to come. We got a 2 month old baby boy! He's healthy and looks mazing! He's perfect! Praise God! We'll be sharring more soon!

Still Waiting...

2008-05-26T23:26:00.000-07:00

We are still in the waiting process. It has been bumped back about 60-90 days. We are remaining positive, but I'm sure you can imagine why we might be a little on edge :-) Prayer is always good. Please pray for us!

The SHACK....Must Read!

2008-04-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Knowing God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is every followers highest goal. After reading the first 3 pages, I knew there was something special about this book! If has truly given me a new understanding and vision about the trinity and how they work. "...knowing is much greater, love simply must expand to contain it. Love is simply the skin of knowing..."

And.....it's short!!! Woohoo! I finally finished another book! ~Sam

Fundraiser T-Shirts

2008-04-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Find out how you and other people you know can catch our vision by viewing our fundraising web site!

http://www.adoptpdx.com/

For Starters...

2008-04-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

We just got up and running with this whole Blogging craze! We are excited to update you all on our process and where we stand within'. Check back for more info!