April 25, 2012
We are traveling soon!
Praise the Lord we got our CA set....its a week later than we hoped for, but nonetheless we will be on our way in two weeks to get our sweet princess. I have been praying for her foster family who has had her since she was 10 days old. It will be so hard for them to let go - we are fortunate enough to go to Shanghai to visit them though. It will be nice to be able to thank them in person. I suspect there will be many tears from both sides. We are eternally grateful to them and the Baobei foundation for taking care of her. Well, off to plan airline tickets, packing and cleaning and stocking the house with plenty of food for the kids:)
April 23, 2012
TA, kind of, sort of
We got an email today from our agency asking us if we would be able to travel next week or the following week...looks like our TA should be recieved super soon so they wanted to be ready to ask for consulate dates...of course we said we would love either dates, but especially the first set.
Now we sit more and wait to see what happens! We are one step closer to the princess!!!
Now we sit more and wait to see what happens! We are one step closer to the princess!!!
April 13, 2012
Spring Break
As I am writing this I am actually seeing the sun shining through the window! I think Spring has finally reached us!
The kids were on spring break this week, but I have to say its been a completely uneventful week. Nothing exciting. I spent the first day all day, at Seattle Childrens with our cleft palate son determining when his next surgeries will be. The second day was spent getting my shots updated and travel meds for the trip. Day three was spent shopping for a very special gift for our daughter's foster family, day 4 an attempt to get the kids shots up to date since they are off, and today we will finally have some fun bowling and roller skating.
Next week bring the dreaded but wonderful adoption yard sale. We are always blessed by so many wonderful people making donations and of course other purchasing those donations. Its so much work, but so worth the work. Every penny matters at this point!
We have been waiting for a week and half now for our travel approval. I would love to think we will get it this upcoming week but the reality is it will probably be closer to three weeks. Maybe I will be wrong and it will be two weeks:) Ahhhhh...the wait is never fun - both hubby and I have been swamped with so many things lately it will be nice to get away on this minivacation.
The kids were on spring break this week, but I have to say its been a completely uneventful week. Nothing exciting. I spent the first day all day, at Seattle Childrens with our cleft palate son determining when his next surgeries will be. The second day was spent getting my shots updated and travel meds for the trip. Day three was spent shopping for a very special gift for our daughter's foster family, day 4 an attempt to get the kids shots up to date since they are off, and today we will finally have some fun bowling and roller skating.
Next week bring the dreaded but wonderful adoption yard sale. We are always blessed by so many wonderful people making donations and of course other purchasing those donations. Its so much work, but so worth the work. Every penny matters at this point!
We have been waiting for a week and half now for our travel approval. I would love to think we will get it this upcoming week but the reality is it will probably be closer to three weeks. Maybe I will be wrong and it will be two weeks:) Ahhhhh...the wait is never fun - both hubby and I have been swamped with so many things lately it will be nice to get away on this minivacation.
April 3, 2012
ARTICLE 5~~~
Yes today I got an email saying the embassy processed our article 5 and our agency should be picking it up today and sending off to Beijing!!!! Hopefully our TA wait is short, but I am not counting on that..this waiting game seems to always be so variable.....yay though for Article 5!!
March 28, 2012
Just waiting around
Ha! Seems like this part of the adoption journey you "just wait around" for the next step. Actually, when you think about it the whole process is "just waiting around!" You would think after 20 yrs in the Army with the "hurry up and wait" mode they tell you to be in, that it would get easier...NOPE! I think its harder. Oh well, welcome to the crowd right?! Hopefully on TUE, 3 April we will get a call that our Article 5 is being picked up. That will be exactly 2 weeks from the day it was offically delivered to the Embassy in Guangzhou.
This week has brought a cold and cough throughout our house, more rain and some snow. But most important we received an update with a few short videos of our girl! Let me just say that it took our breath away. She was adorable to begin with, but then to see her in full action and babbling a few words here and there we were able to really see who she is...and the verdict is.....we are MORE in love with her:) The foster family has done a fabulous job keeping her healthy and on track...amazing how a little love will work:)
We got our visas back this past week as well. Our 8 yr old daughter who will be traveling with us is getting more excited by the minute. Even her teachers are excited she will get to be part of this trip. Our other kids are excited for us to go too, not only to bring their little sister home, but to have their older sibling and spouse move in and take care of them. Why is is that they will behave and even clean the house while we are gone but the second we are home it's all back to normal again?! But I would rather have that, then to worry about them while we are gone. We are surely blessed to have older children who step in and help us out when we need to.
Our teen boys continue to do great. Titus is in fact doing an FFA district competition today. He won the first round a month or so ago and if he wins today he goes to state level. I think its pretty funny that a guy who barely spoke english can beat out kids who that is all they have ever known. Determination is what he has for sure! Way to go Titus.
Adam decided this past week he was going to learn to ride a bike. We tried to convince him he could do it this past summer when we got home, but I think he thought his vision was going to hinder him. Let's just say it hasn't. Along with the help of one sister, he was up and riding like a champ within an hour and only fell once. He loves his new freedom and rides as much as possible. For now he has to wear his sisters girly helmet until I can go buy him one, but he doesn't seem to mind! Way to go Adam! He has also been opening up and remembering things from his past that he didn't either remember or want to share. It's great to see healing come about. After Elizabeths adoption I think I will start to work on finding his Dad's name. He can't remember his name but he knows he was a good guy:)
Everyone else here is great, despite colds and coughs, but that is the season. Rain, rain go away!!
Well I better get off this computer and get to work around the house:)
This week has brought a cold and cough throughout our house, more rain and some snow. But most important we received an update with a few short videos of our girl! Let me just say that it took our breath away. She was adorable to begin with, but then to see her in full action and babbling a few words here and there we were able to really see who she is...and the verdict is.....we are MORE in love with her:) The foster family has done a fabulous job keeping her healthy and on track...amazing how a little love will work:)
We got our visas back this past week as well. Our 8 yr old daughter who will be traveling with us is getting more excited by the minute. Even her teachers are excited she will get to be part of this trip. Our other kids are excited for us to go too, not only to bring their little sister home, but to have their older sibling and spouse move in and take care of them. Why is is that they will behave and even clean the house while we are gone but the second we are home it's all back to normal again?! But I would rather have that, then to worry about them while we are gone. We are surely blessed to have older children who step in and help us out when we need to.
Our teen boys continue to do great. Titus is in fact doing an FFA district competition today. He won the first round a month or so ago and if he wins today he goes to state level. I think its pretty funny that a guy who barely spoke english can beat out kids who that is all they have ever known. Determination is what he has for sure! Way to go Titus.
Adam decided this past week he was going to learn to ride a bike. We tried to convince him he could do it this past summer when we got home, but I think he thought his vision was going to hinder him. Let's just say it hasn't. Along with the help of one sister, he was up and riding like a champ within an hour and only fell once. He loves his new freedom and rides as much as possible. For now he has to wear his sisters girly helmet until I can go buy him one, but he doesn't seem to mind! Way to go Adam! He has also been opening up and remembering things from his past that he didn't either remember or want to share. It's great to see healing come about. After Elizabeths adoption I think I will start to work on finding his Dad's name. He can't remember his name but he knows he was a good guy:)
Everyone else here is great, despite colds and coughs, but that is the season. Rain, rain go away!!
Well I better get off this computer and get to work around the house:)
March 16, 2012
NVC!
We got our NVC letter via email today. It was dated yesterday but not sent until today. Now off to our agency it goes, then onto China, then wait for Article 5, travel approval and we are on our way!
I love and hate this part of the journey. You know whats coming and pretty close to when, so the waiting is horrible (but knowing who we get to meet soon is worth the wait).
March and April are going to be long months!
I sure would love another picture of our sweetie!
Well, off to thinking about corned beef and cabbage - my husbands yearly Irish fix. Enjoy your weekend!
I love and hate this part of the journey. You know whats coming and pretty close to when, so the waiting is horrible (but knowing who we get to meet soon is worth the wait).
March and April are going to be long months!
I sure would love another picture of our sweetie!
Well, off to thinking about corned beef and cabbage - my husbands yearly Irish fix. Enjoy your weekend!
March 12, 2012
I800PA
Today we finally received our I800PA. It was approved on March 7th -so took 5 days in the mail to get here. I called the NVC right away and the officer there said they had not yet gotten it. I am hoping it is just in their mail room waiting to work its way to the correct office. She seems a little concerned stating that they should have already had it. So she forwarded a request to her supervisor to track it down. I of course contacted the NBC and left a message for our officer there to see if she had a tracking number etc.
If I remember correctly it took 7 days to get there last time, even though they say they 2 day express mail it to the NVC, so I won't totally wig out yet:) I will be so happy to have our paperwork past this point...then its just Article 5 and TA!!!! It would be so awesome if we traveled in early May instead of late May. I would like to miss the holidays there and be home with enough days of school left that I can get rested and into a routine before all the kids are home at the same time.
Thank you Jesus for being my shoulder to cry on while I wait not so patiently:)
If I remember correctly it took 7 days to get there last time, even though they say they 2 day express mail it to the NVC, so I won't totally wig out yet:) I will be so happy to have our paperwork past this point...then its just Article 5 and TA!!!! It would be so awesome if we traveled in early May instead of late May. I would like to miss the holidays there and be home with enough days of school left that I can get rested and into a routine before all the kids are home at the same time.
Thank you Jesus for being my shoulder to cry on while I wait not so patiently:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)