Denver

Robbie, Paige and I went to Denver last weekend for a fundraiser put on by our adoption agency, IAN. All proceeds from the fundraiser went to a hospital in Ethiopia, which serves 3 million citizens. This hospital has very limited resources at their disposal, and all funds will help provide up to date technology. We had an incredible time, and not only was it for a good cause, but we got to meet so many people associated with the adoption.

Friday night, we went to eat at a local Ethiopian restaurant, called Habesha. There we met three families who have brought home their children, one family on the infant girl waiting list, and two adoption coordinators at IAN. Paige had a blast playing with all of the children while Robbie and I visited with the adults. We also got to try Ethiopian food for the very first time, which was a great experience.

Saturday night, at the fundraiser, we met even more people, including two families who have the same court date (Dec. 9th) as us. We finally met Allison, our adoption coordinator, for the first time in person. She is incredible, and it was so nice to meet her after speaking to her so many times on the phone. We also had the pleasure of meeting Abebe who is the adoption facilitator in Ethiopia, as well as his wife Hana, who is the director of the orphanage. It was just an incredible experience to be around so many people who have either already gone through or are currently going through this whole process.

Sunday, we concluded the the adoption part of our trip by meeting several of the families for brunch and then heading over to IAN's office for an open house. Again, it was just another great opportunity to meet and visit with other families who "get it". I am so glad that we decided to go, and now even more excited to bring home our little man and forever be a part of this family.

In between all of the adoption events, we managed to squeeze in some family time as well. The most exciting part for Paige was the fact that it snowed about 12 inches from Saturday evening to Sunday. She was itching to get into the snow, and of course I didn't bring any of our ski/snow gear for the trip, so we had to go buy new pants, gloves, and a hat for her. We also decided to buy a sled and took her sledding for the first time. Here are some pictures of her in the snow...