Our Referral!!!!

Our Referral Video!

   

Easton and Preston couldn't be happier!

Andy leading a prayer for Silas and our growing family!

My prayer warriors!

It is with great excitement that we can share that we have a SON! A 3rd son, WOW! We started our adoption journey in July of 2013. After 21 months, we finally received the call that announced we had been matched. Randi, our Ethiopia Program Director, called me (Ashlie) at 7:30pm on April 14, 2015! I will never forget this day because it is the same day that Easton fell off the playground at school and broke his arm. I was standing in the pharmacy at Walmart (of ALL places) waiting for Easton's pain medicine when my phone rang. Tears of JOY immediately flowed! I was exhausted and drained when I got the phone call that I have been waiting for.  Ryan loaded up the boys (even though Easton was in a splint and scheduled to be sedated early the next morning) to meet me at my parents. We surprised my parents with our arrival and told them that we had an email to open! We quickly told the boys that it was time to see their brother! (Since we opened up our request to boy or girl on March 30, 2015, we have been preparing the boys for a brother!) Easton barley had his eyes open but he was very excited to see his brother! We opened the email and instantly knew we were looking at our son!

Sweetest friends!

     Waiting for 21 months has not been easy. God has used this time to grow our faith and our marriage. I believe the Lord wanted me to feel a sense of surrender through this wait. We had been waiting for a daughter for a year and a half. Through much prayer we believe God had asked us to open our request to either gender. We were at complete peace at the thought of three sons! This adoption hasn't just been about growing our family. It has been about stepping out on faith, saying "YES" to the Lord, and watching God do amazing things in our lives.  The night that we received our referral call I literally had nothing left to give. I could only then rely on my faith and to carry me through. God never disappoints, He showed up that night! We are truly grateful for the trials that we have overcome. We give God the glory for everything He is doing in our lives and our new son's life!

We are so thankful for all of the friends and family who joined us!

    We have very little information to share about our Silas. Through the next few months we will uncover his story. He is estimated to be 20 months old, his birthday is  unknown. He is from the Oromia region, which is in the south. (Easton is also from the South but not the same region) Thankfully, we have over 10 pictures of our little guy and another adoption family met him last week. He has been described as sweet, shy, observant and adorable! We have studied and memorized each picture. We are thankful that in last week's image he looks healthy, happy, and alert! We believe he is making huge gains being at our adoption agency's foster care home and ofcourse the power of a praying Daddy and Mommy has no limitations!

Blue silly string for another BOY!

    So, when do we get to meet Silas and bring him home? Ryan and I are going ASAP! We just can't stand seeing him grow up in pictures. We want to meet him, hug him, kiss him and love on him! We are making plans for a visitation trip THIS July! Our adoption agency is predicting that we will not have a court date until December. That's 8 months away. =( We've decided that meeting Silas around is 2nd birthday is a priceless opportunity. We have longed to be back in Ethiopia for five years. We just cannot wait to be back in Addis Ababa with our SON!

Predicted Timeline:
April 14th, 2015- Our Referral!
July, 2015- Ryan and Ashlie's Visitation Trip to Meet Silas in Ethiopia
Hopefully, December, 2015- Court Date-Ryan and Ashlie Flying back to Ethiopia! (Ashlie will stay with Silas for an estimated 4-6 Weeks in Ethiopia, waiting on the US Embassy to assign Silas a Visa)
Hopefully, January, 2016- Bring Silas HOME!

Wonderful friends!

    Will you please join us in praying for our son? We need his heart to be prepared to join our family. We pray for attachment and bonding. Adopting children from hard places is not easy. Ryan and I are preparing ourselves, Easton, and Preston to meet all of Silas' needs.  Will you also pray that our paperwork continues to move swiftly through the US Immigration office, Ethiopia Courts, and the US Embassy in Addis Ababa?

    We love adoption but we will be the first to tell you that it is not easy! We are making many difficult decisions in the best interest of our new son. We keep telling the boys and ourselves, he needs a family and we are his family! We are so blessed by adoption and we cannot stop singing praises for everything The Lord has done in our lives!
   
    Lastly, Ashlie Fulmer Photography is open for business! 100% of my photography funds will be used toward our flight expenses. At this time all of our adoption fees are paid. We are responsible for all of our travel expenses, which will be over $10k. If you need family pictures, maternity pictures, or events, please consider me! Email me at Ryanashlie@gmail.com to schedule your session!

    Thank you for being apart of this journey to our child! We love and appreciate you! I leave you with this edited picture of our baby boy!

Our Son! (We cannot share full images until we pass Ethiopian Court)

Cupcakes!

Ethiopian Decorations!

Wrapping Up Summer and Back To School! **Picture Post**

Summer Vacation and Adoption Update!

    Sometimes, no news is good news. For the last 9 months, that has been the case. We officially submitted our dossier in November of 2013 for our Ethiopian adoption. At that time, we believed our referral would come within 12 months. (A "referral" means the official match between an orphan and a family) Although we have only waited 9 months,  I'm hopeful that we are getting closer to seeing our daughter for the first time.  Unofficially, we are family #6 waiting for our referral. I believe that we could receive our referral call as early as October, however, it could be late into the Spring.  Either way, we continue to patiently wait for God's timing. Thankfully, Easton and Preston have kept us busy throughout this waiting process. I am so thankful for the friends and family who continue to pray for our family and daughter.

   Our summer was filled with trips to the beach, hours in the pool, picnicking at our local parks, and a 21 day road trip to Ohio and Pennsylvania. We had a traditional summer vacation, staying in 8 different houses, with family and friends. The pictures below retell our summer adventure!

 Thank you for taking the time to check in on our Fulmer Family! We appreciate your support and look forward to the day that we can announce exciting adoption news!