One year as Markos' parents

One year ago today we officially became Markos' parents. Here's an excerpt from the email we got from our agency representative:

Hello, Phelps and Kate!
Congratulations on having your adoption finalized and approved by the courts in Ethiopia! You are officially Markos’ parents!!!!

It was a great day. Here's a photo taken right around that time, too ...

More exciting news ... last night, we found out our friends and neighbors the Amedios got their referral, a two year old boy who is adorable. He and Markos will be tight no doubt. So happy for them. They used the same agency, Gladney, that we used, and I think they have been as happy with their experience as we were.

July 21st memory

Tomorrow, July 21, is the one-year anniversary of when we found out about Markos from our agency! July 21 was the beginning of an amazing journey that is only a year old. Crazy, because even though it seems like just yesterday, we feel like he’s been part of our family forever. We feel extremely lucky and blessed. Here's a recent photo of the three kids with their three cousins at the beach this summer.

Letter to our son

We sent the following letter and photo to our son yesterday. Our new court date is next week (October 20), and, if all goes as planned, we will travel over to Addis Ababa 3-4 weeks after that. Fingers crossed. (Note that until we finalize the adoption, we cannot post his name or photos, but we sure wish we could!)

Dear [Son],

We cannot wait for you to be a part of our family. We live far away
in America and will come all the way to Ethiopia where you live to
meet you. We’ll have many adventures together including riding on an
airplane, exploring new places, eating new foods, and meeting your new
sisters, Roxie and McRae. They can’t wait to play with you and show
you around our house. And you will meet our dog, Sully. He is very
sweet and I’m sure you and he will be good friends. We hope you liked
the trucks, clothes, and pictures we sent to you.

With love from America,

The Sprinkle Family

PS - Give your caregivers a big hug from us for taking such good care
of you!