Friends are a Gift from God!! Part 2

 So Wednesday was fun playing and swimming at our house with the Peifer Family & Friday was the zoo with the Dupuis Family- go back a post if you missed it :)

 Saturday was fun at the park grilling out with 3 other families that all used AGCI (All God's Children International) as our agency to adopt (at least one child) from Ethiopia.

 So what do you get with these 4 families?

 8 adults......

 22 children........

 7 home grown children....................

 1 child from Guatemala..............

 6 children through foster care in the US.....

 2 children from Eastern Europe.........

 5 children from Ethiopia.............

 1 child through domestic adoption...........

 AND a HUGE AMOUNT OF FUN!!!!!!!!!

 AND FELLOWSHIP!!!!!

 AND LAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!!

 AND children that had a blast playing together!!!!!

 AND relaxing together!!!!

 AND talking with each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 AND eating food of course!!!!

 AND well there was a lot of CUTENESS!!!! 

 OH AND some talk about adoption tax credit- OYE!!!!!!

 AND some chill time.......

 AND well let's just say it- CUTE!!!!!!!

AND well time to MAKE FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See the wonderful people we met up with- we have only met up with one of the families before.  The Boyce's  who only live abtt1/2 hr from us.  We met up with them while still in that transition where we had no idea of anything yet :).

Saturday was the first time in meeting the Falvo family and the Alexander Family.  The Falvo family lives about and hourish away North of us, and the Alexander family (who were here on vacation) lives several states north of us.....so this was a GREAT Blessing to be able to meet up. 

The great part about meeting together with bloggy friends, adoptive friends, is that we get it.  We understand the roller coaster rides involved.  We understand the frustrations of waiting, of set backs, of loss in our childrenn's lives, of the JOY that comes with each new step.

An interesting fact as well is that ALL of the families - since our Ethiopian adoptions- have or will be soon adopting again.  Isn't that cool.  To think that all the craziness that goes into an adoption- all the ups and downs, the waiting, the moments that we all experience......and yet- we get back on that roller coaster again and say- IT WAS WORTH IT!!!!  GOD SEND ME AGAIN!!! I think that speaks VOLUMES for adoption- is it hard- Absolutely!!!  Is is worth it- Absolutely!!!!

And what great JOY in seeing each other, and seeing each other's children playing together.  There was no- oh you are from this country and I am from this country, or you are a biological child and I am adopted, there was no staring (well at least not from us- well except gazing at all the beautiful children!), there was no - I would never do adoption again- instead it was all about the beauty that comes from adoption.

FRIENDS- whether close by, or many states away......are soooo wonderful to have!!!!!!  THANK YOU FRIENDS FOR YOUR TIME!!!  WE were soo excited to meet up, play, dream, talk, and share in each other's trials and joys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What a gift from GOD!