Wrestling with Jason

Ashton trying to intimidate Jason with his muscles.

It must have worked cause he took Jason down!

Miss Madi Moo

Friends one minute, enemies the next. Can you tell this was a forced hug:)

Jake's good buddy Alysa

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They have become Wii masters.

The best birthday present ever!!!

Chris and I are on our way out to celebrate his 29th birthday and the fact that we are offically new parents. We got our adoption decree and Ellisa is offically ours!!! Praise the Lord. Right now we are waiting on her birth certificate to be changed so that Chris and I are listed as her mother and father. She now legally has the last name Carter. After that they will do the final DNA test to ensure she is the same baby. Then they will send us a pink slip that will authorize us to come get her and give us the date of our appointment with the US embassy in Guatemala. All together they are estimating we will go to Guatemala in about 5 weeks. That would make her a little over 6 1/2 months old when we go. We cannot wait to hold her and kiss her sweet cheeks.

Praise the Lord Ellisa Faith is coming home!!!!!!

The proud new mommy

It is hard to express the joy we are feeling right now. God has been so good to us and to Ellisa. I am so proud of all three of my children!

Ellisa's first bathing suit

We bought this bathing suit to take to Guatemala with us because we will be staying in a hotel with a pool. I had so much fun shopping for it and am so excited that we will get to take her swimming for the first time!

We play together and disobey together

We fight, but we always make up.

Hugging always turns to wrestling around here.

Our new fashion statements

We love our new style!

Silly times with Dad

Our new favorite way to read!

Getting Ellisa's room ready

We feel very blessed that Chris' talented friend Terry painted a mural for Elli's wall.

The master at work.

The finished product took my breath away, all it needs now is our precious little Elli!

Ellisa's quilt was the inspiration for her mural.

The beginning outlines, I can tell already it is going to be beautiful!

Her bed is all ready for her!

Ellisa Faith is 3 1/2 months old!

I can't believe how much she has grown and how beautiful she is!!

I love all her hair and the cute little ponytail.

She's not quite sure of the doll we sent her, but she sure looks cute in purple.

My best friend Melissa and our little blessings

I love Frosty the Snow Man

We loved playing the Wii

Justin and Jake racing cows!

The Carter/VanEerden clan early, early in the morning

Jake and Cole became great buddies!

Makalynn is right at home in the kitchen.

Ellisa's second care package

Ellisa Faith turned 3 months old on Christmas day and we are getting the opportunity to send her another care package. We should get new pictures and video of her by the end of the month. She will be almost 3 1/2 months old in the pictures and we haven't seen any since she was less than a month old. We are so anxious to see how she has grown and changed. Please continue to pray with us that the Lord will bring her home soon. We are desperate to hold her!!

One less coyote for the New Year