Tires

We came across a big pile of tires at the beach. Ezra had a blast hiding in them. Old tires + little boys = hours of entertainment

Park Day

Here's our cute park play date friends. I love these kids!

So HOT!

Ezra fell asleep in the car on the way to Zach's workout at the beach. So I decided to stay in the car with Ez to let him rest. The next thing I knew, I looked back at him to see he was literally dripping with sweat. Poor thing. I didn't think it was that hot.

The Garner Girls' Influence

I'd have to say, Ezra would be an adorable girl if he wasn't so incredibly BOY!

Bath time!

Toddler "Newborn" Pics

I guess it's not as graceful as a two year old.

My Gym

Ezra had this kiddie gym membership for a few weeks. It was a great way to get his wiggles out. You can tell from the glow on his face that he was in heaven. With the gigantic balls, rungs to climb up the walls, ball pits, and mini trampoline, what's not to love?

Manoa Arboretum

We recently had some friends visiting from out of town, so we took them up to the Manoa Arboretum. It's practically in our backyard. I love how quiet and serine it is up there.

  I think this picture perfectly sums up a typical outing for us. Ezra with a big stick, Zach telling an animated story, and I'm taking pictures of it all.

Here are our cute friends, Robby and Marsha, visiting from Vegas.

Build a Base

One of Ezra's favorite things to do is to build a base with daddy using the couch/ottomans and cushions, and having a flash light is a vital component of the whole experience. I love these pictures that peek into his little world.

Ethiopia Adoption

Sorry for the lengthiness of this post (and lack of pictures - boring!). This is mostly for personal history and documentation. But if you have some time on your hands, or are particularly interested in the details of international adoption, then be my guest and read on.

As some of you know, Zach and I are working on our second adoption in Ethiopia. With Ezra, our adoption was domestic, and we were able to work with LDS Family Services throughout the entire process. At the time, I thought I had a lot of paperwork on my hands. I had no idea how easy I had it.

Apparently with international adoption, the paperwork quadruples, as do the fees. I am just excited for the day when we bring our child/children home, and all this work will be so worth it.

First off, we have to work with two different adoption agencies (more paperwork and more money). One agency is a local agency to complete our home study, and the other is a placement agency that will match us up with a child and help with finalization. We had to go with these different agencies because there are no local agencies that provide adoption services for Africa, and we are required to have a local agency to complete our home study.


Here's a list of the requirements.


Home Study Requirements:

1. Home study fees
2. Application for International Home Study and Waiver of Liability
3. 4 interviews & 2 home visits (including home inspection)
4. About 50 essay questions covering personal history, extended family and their backgrounds, family life, personal background, academic background, career, marital history/relationships, children, and attitudes about adoption.
5. Copies of birth certificates
6. Copy of marriage certificate
7. Prior year tax return
8. Employment verifications
9. Proof that insurance plan with cover adopted child & preexisting conditions
10. Child medical statement
11. Adult medical reports
12. TB test results
13. Child Protective Services clearance
14. FBI clearances (fingerprinting)
15. 10+ hours of adoption/parenting training
16. Bank statements
17. Financial assets statement
18. 3 Reference letters
19. Residence history
20. Child preferences
21. Fill out forms including the following:
1. Post Placement Policy & Agreement
2. Medical Risks Disclaimer
3. International Home Study Services Form
4. Certification of Pre-Adoption Preparation
5. Criminal Record Statement
6. Fee Agreement
7. Authorization for Release of Information

Placement Agency Requirements

1. Agency fees
2. Application for services
3. Hague Training (10+ hours including country specific training)
4. FedEx Account #
5. Culture gram
6. Sign & Notarize the following forms:
1. Adoption Program Fees Form
2. Contract & Commitment
3. Statement of Understanding Ethiopia
4. Risk Waiver
5. Referral Acceptance Agreement
6. Hague Training Requirements
7. Document Shipment Procedure Agreement

Dossier Documents

Some of these requirements are similar to the ones required by the home study, but they are on different forms and all have to be notarized (the others weren't).

1. Prepare a letter indicating why you want to adopt from Ethiopia, signed & notarized by both parents. Address the letter to: Director of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2. Original government issued birth certificates for both parents.
3. Original government issued Marriage Certificate and any Divorce Decrees if applicable.
4. "Good Conduct" or Local Police Clearance letters for both parents, notarized by Police Department.
5. Original Medical Report for both parents, signed & notarized by your Doctor.
6. Two Original Home Study Evaluation reports.
7. Financial Statement signed and notarized by both parents.
8. Letter of Employment Verification for each working parent, signed & notarized by employer.
9. Letter from your bank indicating you are in good standing, signed & notarized by banker.
10. Letter from your life insurance company, indicating you have a policy with the policy value.
11. Letter from your Health Insurance provider, indicating you have a policy.
12. Three Letters of Recommendation from friends favoring your position to adopt, signed and notarized. One letter can be from a family member.  Address letters to: Whom it May Concern.
13. Obligation of Adoption- Reporting Commitment signed and notarized.
14. Original Passport Photos.
15.  Color photocopies of your Passports. Please ensure that they are signed.
16. Power of Attorney for Purposes of Adoption, signed and notarized.  (3 original copies)
17. Copies of your past two years tax returns.

Yum.

Can you guess what happened here?

Messy Ez

I showed Ezra these pictures on my camera, and he said, "Oh. It's messy." Your right, Ez. It is messy. Deliciously messy. I could just lick it right off your face.

 I guess it's cold.

Birthday!

For my birthday, some of my good friends took me out to lunch. We went to CPK. It was yummy! Here's the card that Abby made for me. Isn't it cute?

This is my good friend Shandra. Unfortunately the only picture I have of her at this lunch is one that a two year old took. Sorry Shandra, but thanks for lunch!

 Here's Nancy and Abby. Love you girls!

Later that day, we went to dinner with our BFF's, the Vuniwai's. Here we are at Himalayan Kitchen. It's one of my all time favorite restaurants. What a great birthday filled with great friends and delicious food.