I'm not doing so great at updating weekly, but it's because so many exciting things are happening throughout the week that I want to share right away! My days are beginning to run together, so I'll just give a general update.
I mailed in our USCIS I-800A application on July 12, and on July 15, the application was picked up from the lockbox. On July 19, the check for $890 cleared the bank, and on July 23 the official receipt came in the mail.
None of that really meant big progress, but at this point we get excited about every step forward, no matter how small.
Then, just Saturday, July 28, there were two letters in the mail from the Department of Homeland Security... our biometric appointments!!! (This is simply another set of fingerprints, on top of the fingerprints we've sent to the state and FBI, but done by a fingerprint technician at a USCIS Support Center.) So we're leaving the house at 6:00 a.m. to drive to our appointment, which, with 6 hours of driving round-trip, means it will be a full day for our family.
So, there's your update! We're busy busy!
Showing posts with label Monday Morning Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monday Morning Update. Show all posts
Monday, July 30, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Monday Morning Update 7.9.12
M: I heard from our placing agency that we got a response from our kiddos' country that they wanted our application done differently. Hmmm... you know that little voice that says "Go ahead and do two sets of paperwork, one worded this way, one worded that way, and have them both notarized, just in case?" No? Never heard that little voice? I did, and I listened, and I scanned and emailed over the other paperwork right away! That saved me another day of paper-chasing!
T: I called our homestudy agency to find out where in paperland our written homestudy is so I can submit everything to USCIS already!!!
W: Our family went to a cookout with several other families, including the Rogers family! If you don't know, they're leaving VERY SOON to rescue two more children from life in an institution! They're still not fully funded, so please consider donating to their grant!
R: The homestudy is done, signatures and notarizations are done, and it's IN THE MAIL!!!
F: Ivan is the newest doll up for auction, and if you can't tell, Elijah picked out the fabric! I tried something new... breaking away from the pattern! It took a little work, but Ivan is the first boy with shorts instead of overalls! Of course, I love the overalls, but they just weren't working with these fabrics. Whatcha think?
That's it for last week, I think. I'm not sure where the time is going, but it's flying right now!
T: I called our homestudy agency to find out where in paperland our written homestudy is so I can submit everything to USCIS already!!!
W: Our family went to a cookout with several other families, including the Rogers family! If you don't know, they're leaving VERY SOON to rescue two more children from life in an institution! They're still not fully funded, so please consider donating to their grant!
R: The homestudy is done, signatures and notarizations are done, and it's IN THE MAIL!!!
F: Ivan is the newest doll up for auction, and if you can't tell, Elijah picked out the fabric! I tried something new... breaking away from the pattern! It took a little work, but Ivan is the first boy with shorts instead of overalls! Of course, I love the overalls, but they just weren't working with these fabrics. Whatcha think?
That's it for last week, I think. I'm not sure where the time is going, but it's flying right now!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Monday Morning Update 7.2.12
Last week was very exciting! In case you missed all the exciting news (and because you probably don't know all the stuff that led up to the exciting news), here's a recap of last week!
M: Our foreign agency was contacted to get a fee agreement and commitment paperwork set up for adding Denny to our adoption, and we waited to hear back from them after they secured his file with his country.
T: Still waiting, and stressing over what amount we would hear back, and sending emails to the ladies at Reece's Rainbow to let them know that we were preparing to commit.
W: Our homestudy was revised by the homestudy agency, and then it was off to our placing agency!
R: We filled out commitment paperwork, and wired the first installment of Denny's foreign fees. I updated our "Priceless" page with all our new payments, and updated the ticker for what we still need by this fall, when we travel.
F: I got an email that our commitment paperwork had been submitted to Denny's country! And that afternoon, I got to make the best announcement! That Denny is going to be a Pickett!!!
I also started the next doll auction, inspired by one of my kids' favorite books, Corduroy. Little Lisa and her bear are off to a great start in the auction!
And that was our week in a nutshell! Happy Monday!!!
M: Our foreign agency was contacted to get a fee agreement and commitment paperwork set up for adding Denny to our adoption, and we waited to hear back from them after they secured his file with his country.
T: Still waiting, and stressing over what amount we would hear back, and sending emails to the ladies at Reece's Rainbow to let them know that we were preparing to commit.
W: Our homestudy was revised by the homestudy agency, and then it was off to our placing agency!
R: We filled out commitment paperwork, and wired the first installment of Denny's foreign fees. I updated our "Priceless" page with all our new payments, and updated the ticker for what we still need by this fall, when we travel.
F: I got an email that our commitment paperwork had been submitted to Denny's country! And that afternoon, I got to make the best announcement! That Denny is going to be a Pickett!!!
I also started the next doll auction, inspired by one of my kids' favorite books, Corduroy. Little Lisa and her bear are off to a great start in the auction!
And that was our week in a nutshell! Happy Monday!!!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Monday Morning Update 6.25.12
Last week is sort of a blur... it's funny how time can feel like it's moving so slowly, and yet I look back and wonder where the week, or month, or even the year has gone.
And because I didn't do the best job of Monday Morning Updating last week, the big news from the week before is that I read and made my changes to our homestudy draft! This was after I sent over some MORE last-minute required paperwork, like life insurance policies, health insurance coverage information, and updated salary information.
Now that that's out of the way, here's last week's happenings!
M: I took the big kids to the doctor to get their TB test results signed, and forwarded the clearances to our social worker. And Iharassed called Sadie's allergist again to find out if she could have the TB test.
T: Still waiting to hear from the allergist.....
W: We went on a 9-mile hike in the Grayson Highlands of Virginia, to the highest point in the state, at Mt. Rogers. This is an annual tradition for our family, but we missed the rhododendron blooming this year. Still a gorgeous hike, where we could see God's creativity displayed for miles and miles!
R: Spoke with the allergist, and she said Sadie should be fine to have the TB test, so we popped in to the walk-in clinic and 3 nurses came in, prepared to hold a screaming toddler down. Sadie just lay there, smiling at everyone, not making a peep, and the nurses were shocked!
F: Listed the newest doll, Gigi, with her own little doll, Gemma. I changed the auctions to start on Fridays, since the Reece's Rainbow blog features families who are fundraising each Friday. The auction will end on Wednesday, so you can follow the link to the Doll Adoption Auction.
Sa: Popped into the walk-in clinic for Sadie's TB test to be signed, and then headed out of town on a day trip to visit Scott's family. We are FINALLY done paper-chasing for our homestudy!!! (Which means we can focus completely on paper-chasing for our dossier.)
Well, that's last week! Onward we go!
And because I didn't do the best job of Monday Morning Updating last week, the big news from the week before is that I read and made my changes to our homestudy draft! This was after I sent over some MORE last-minute required paperwork, like life insurance policies, health insurance coverage information, and updated salary information.
Now that that's out of the way, here's last week's happenings!
M: I took the big kids to the doctor to get their TB test results signed, and forwarded the clearances to our social worker. And I
T: Still waiting to hear from the allergist.....
W: We went on a 9-mile hike in the Grayson Highlands of Virginia, to the highest point in the state, at Mt. Rogers. This is an annual tradition for our family, but we missed the rhododendron blooming this year. Still a gorgeous hike, where we could see God's creativity displayed for miles and miles!
R: Spoke with the allergist, and she said Sadie should be fine to have the TB test, so we popped in to the walk-in clinic and 3 nurses came in, prepared to hold a screaming toddler down. Sadie just lay there, smiling at everyone, not making a peep, and the nurses were shocked!
F: Listed the newest doll, Gigi, with her own little doll, Gemma. I changed the auctions to start on Fridays, since the Reece's Rainbow blog features families who are fundraising each Friday. The auction will end on Wednesday, so you can follow the link to the Doll Adoption Auction.
Sa: Popped into the walk-in clinic for Sadie's TB test to be signed, and then headed out of town on a day trip to visit Scott's family. We are FINALLY done paper-chasing for our homestudy!!! (Which means we can focus completely on paper-chasing for our dossier.)
Well, that's last week! Onward we go!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday Morning Update 5.21.12
I feel like the weeks are going quickly, even though not much is happening with the adoption right now. I'll be back to paperchasing soon, but for now, these dolls are keeping me busy!
R: This was my birthday, and my only wish was to be able to spend our daughter's birthday with her. We're praying for paperwork to move quickly so that we can be in her country this fall, to celebrate her 10th birthday.
F: I spoke with our social worker about finishing up our homestudy, and due to some medical information in Cullen's file, she did not feel comfortable approving us to adopt him. I cried for several hours that night, even though I respect and understand her decision. We're waiting on two pieces of paper (one for each of us from the same place), and we'll be finished with the homestudy!
Sa: When our family deals with "stuff", we go to the mountains. There's nothing like zero cell phone signals and hidden waterfalls on a trail to give us a chance to talk without interruption. Okay, there were still 3 kids, so there were plenty of interruptions, but you get my point. We're okay. We're just going to put all our effort into bringing our daughter home, and follow wherever God leads us.
Su: I went to Tonya's house to work on Cooper, and I have to say that crafting with friends is SO MUCH FUN! We were so productive, even though it was late.
With our adoption going from two children to one (we're not actively looking for a second child now), I recalculated our estimated expenses at just over $28,000, though I'm guessing it could go up a little, since I don't have any apostille fees, medical fees, etc. factored in. We're thinking $30,000. We've raised (or contributed ourselves) $15,567. So, at this point, we have passed the halfway mark, in only four months! Only through God, not through anything Scott or I have done!
R: This was my birthday, and my only wish was to be able to spend our daughter's birthday with her. We're praying for paperwork to move quickly so that we can be in her country this fall, to celebrate her 10th birthday.
F: I spoke with our social worker about finishing up our homestudy, and due to some medical information in Cullen's file, she did not feel comfortable approving us to adopt him. I cried for several hours that night, even though I respect and understand her decision. We're waiting on two pieces of paper (one for each of us from the same place), and we'll be finished with the homestudy!
Sa: When our family deals with "stuff", we go to the mountains. There's nothing like zero cell phone signals and hidden waterfalls on a trail to give us a chance to talk without interruption. Okay, there were still 3 kids, so there were plenty of interruptions, but you get my point. We're okay. We're just going to put all our effort into bringing our daughter home, and follow wherever God leads us.
Su: I went to Tonya's house to work on Cooper, and I have to say that crafting with friends is SO MUCH FUN! We were so productive, even though it was late.
With our adoption going from two children to one (we're not actively looking for a second child now), I recalculated our estimated expenses at just over $28,000, though I'm guessing it could go up a little, since I don't have any apostille fees, medical fees, etc. factored in. We're thinking $30,000. We've raised (or contributed ourselves) $15,567. So, at this point, we have passed the halfway mark, in only four months! Only through God, not through anything Scott or I have done!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Monday Morning Update 5.14.12
I had one of those really-busy-but-feel-like-I-accomplished-nothing sort of weeks last week. So busy that I realized I haven't blogged AT ALL since my last Monday Morning Update (which -ahem- wasn't posted until Tuesday). Terrible blogging etiquette, really. Well, here's the update!
M: Finished the first of several dolls that I'll be auctioning off, and set up a facebook auction to find Miss Abigail a new home.
T: I made a trip back to Joann's, to get supplies for more dolls! They can't all be redheads, right? The doll auction got off to a great start, with several bids coming in very quickly, and more people asking if there would be more dolls to bid on in the future. Our family grant jumped nearly $300 in one day, putting us at over $1000 in our grant!
M: Finished the first of several dolls that I'll be auctioning off, and set up a facebook auction to find Miss Abigail a new home.
T: I made a trip back to Joann's, to get supplies for more dolls! They can't all be redheads, right? The doll auction got off to a great start, with several bids coming in very quickly, and more people asking if there would be more dolls to bid on in the future. Our family grant jumped nearly $300 in one day, putting us at over $1000 in our grant!
R: Our family's grant took another jump up by $100. If I knew who all these donors were, I'd hug each one, and I'm not a hugger! (Donations made to our grant are anonymous.)
F: The doll auction ended at 8:00 p.m., with a final bid of $100. Lucky me, Miss Abigail is staying right here in my little city! Maybe I'll see her from time to time!
Sa: We temporarily have custody of a beautiful golden retriever, while my dad is fishing at the coast with my grandfather. Our Tamaskan, Nya, loves having a new friend to play with, but goodness, she won't let poor Timber rest for a minute!
Su: This Mother's Day was very much about reflection on my three beautiful children here with me, and the two children who still wait for us. I prayed for their birth mothers, who must be grieving today, thinking about the child they no longer have. We can judge and have our ideas about what we would do in a similar situation, but I am truly thankful to these women who gave *my* children life.
My second doll, Bailee, with her hand-stitched blue eyes and blonde hair, is now up on the facebook auction, which will run through Friday, May 18 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Monday Morning Update 5.7.12
Well, I'm a day late (oops!), but better late than never, right? We had another very slow week, at least for the first part of the week.
R: We met with our social worker again, for our second visit. We dug in and talked about general concerns with bringing children home from institutional settings, their typical developmental issues, as well as some specific concerns we have about attachment and grieving over the loss of their caretakers, routines, etc. We talked about our family plan for the time immediately after bringing the kids home, until we figure out our new normal.
There are some new VA homestudy requirements we need to take care of, but those are quick and easy, and they should be all done within a week. Once we have those done, we can have our last homestudy visit, have the homestudy written, and then we'll be ready to submit paperwork to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)!
Sa: As part of the new VA requirements, we need to have proof that our animals are up-to-date on their vaccines. What God timing this was, because our local SPCA was having their vaccine drive! Our dog is up-to-date, but our kitties were behind. Now, just $30 later (instead of $200) our kitties have their shots, and we have documentation necessary for our homestudy!
Su: Ayden and I needed to make a quick trip to Joann's Fabrics for supplies to finish her AWANA Grand Prix car, and while we were there, I spoke with one of the employees about wanting to make a doll. I left the store an hour later, with everything I needed to make this sweet little girl.
Miss Abigail is now available for adoption, through an auction on facebook. Bidding will run until 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 11.
R: We met with our social worker again, for our second visit. We dug in and talked about general concerns with bringing children home from institutional settings, their typical developmental issues, as well as some specific concerns we have about attachment and grieving over the loss of their caretakers, routines, etc. We talked about our family plan for the time immediately after bringing the kids home, until we figure out our new normal.
There are some new VA homestudy requirements we need to take care of, but those are quick and easy, and they should be all done within a week. Once we have those done, we can have our last homestudy visit, have the homestudy written, and then we'll be ready to submit paperwork to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)!
Sa: As part of the new VA requirements, we need to have proof that our animals are up-to-date on their vaccines. What God timing this was, because our local SPCA was having their vaccine drive! Our dog is up-to-date, but our kitties were behind. Now, just $30 later (instead of $200) our kitties have their shots, and we have documentation necessary for our homestudy!
Su: Ayden and I needed to make a quick trip to Joann's Fabrics for supplies to finish her AWANA Grand Prix car, and while we were there, I spoke with one of the employees about wanting to make a doll. I left the store an hour later, with everything I needed to make this sweet little girl.
Miss Abigail is now available for adoption, through an auction on facebook. Bidding will run until 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 11.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday Morning Update 4.30.12
Last week was one of those weeks where nothing adoption-related happened, so I should just be posting a big blank today. Instead, I'm going to tell you about my children, my most precious gifts from God.
Ayden and Elijah are in AWANA, not in our church, but at a Baptist church close to our home. Each week, I see my children grow in their knowledge and understanding of Scripture, and they so look forward to their time at AWANA, with friends, as well as strong Christian leaders. We work on sections of their books at home, memorizing Scripture, and listen to the biographies of people in the Bible. David, Elijah, Samson, Paul, Deborah (one of Ayden's favorite biographies), the list goes on.
The AWANA year is coming to an end, and last night was the last chance for Ayden to shop at the store (they earn AWANA bucks during game time, for bringing friends, for donating to the Adopt-a-Club program, etc.). Elijah missed his store time last week, because we were late getting back from Tennessee, so Ayden assured him that she'd shop for him.
Elijah has been saving for most of the year for a remote control Harley Davidson motorcycle, with a price tag of $75 AWANA bucks. Last night, he had $50 in his wallet. Ayden counted her money, and she had $35. Ayden knew how hard Elijah had worked to save up for the motorcycle, and she gave him $25 so he could buy the motorcycle, leaving her with $10.
As soon as she handed him the money, she turned around and saw a Webkinz sitting on a rack in the store. She has really been wanting a new Webkinz, so she asked Sheila, one of the AWANA leaders, how much it cost. The price was $25. Ayden so badly wanted Elijah to have the motorcycle, but so badly wanted that grey horse. She struggled over what to do, and Elijah didn't want to take the money from her, but was so excited about getting the motorcycle, and he was almost in tears. I didn't offer to "fix" it; I wanted them to have this opportunity to work through the situation. In the end, Ayden decided that Elijah should get the motorcycle.
Lonnie, Sheila's husband, typically runs the store, so Sheila went to get him to find the remote control and charger for the motorcycle and to show Elijah how it works. After getting an explanation of the controls, we were ready to leave. Lonnie turned to Ayden and asked her if she wanted a Webkinz. She shook her head and responded, "I can't." He and Sheila told her that for her kind-heartedness, they wanted her to have the Webkinz. At that point, I started tearing up. Ayden opened her wallet to give them the last $10 she had, and Lonnie refused to take it. Ayden just beamed!
When we got to the van, she said "I just feel like I'm going to cry, my heart is so full!" The rest of the evening was a little emotional for her, and we got to talk about how good it feels to make others happy, and how good it feels to have someone do something so kind for us. Most of all, she knows how proud I am of her selfless decision, regardless of whether she was rewarded in the end.
Yesterday at church, our pastor dug more into Galatians 5, discussing the fruit of the Spirit in vv. 22-25. He held up a bunch of grapes, pointing out that not every grape was fully ripe on that bunch. There were a few that were ripe, so sweet and ready to eat, there were some that were almost ripe, and there were still a few grapes that were small, hard and needed more time to grow. But the grapes were one fruit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Seeing evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in my children is so, so rewarding for me, because it means that my children are getting it. And this mommy's heart is full, too.
Ayden and Elijah are in AWANA, not in our church, but at a Baptist church close to our home. Each week, I see my children grow in their knowledge and understanding of Scripture, and they so look forward to their time at AWANA, with friends, as well as strong Christian leaders. We work on sections of their books at home, memorizing Scripture, and listen to the biographies of people in the Bible. David, Elijah, Samson, Paul, Deborah (one of Ayden's favorite biographies), the list goes on.
The AWANA year is coming to an end, and last night was the last chance for Ayden to shop at the store (they earn AWANA bucks during game time, for bringing friends, for donating to the Adopt-a-Club program, etc.). Elijah missed his store time last week, because we were late getting back from Tennessee, so Ayden assured him that she'd shop for him.
Elijah has been saving for most of the year for a remote control Harley Davidson motorcycle, with a price tag of $75 AWANA bucks. Last night, he had $50 in his wallet. Ayden counted her money, and she had $35. Ayden knew how hard Elijah had worked to save up for the motorcycle, and she gave him $25 so he could buy the motorcycle, leaving her with $10.
As soon as she handed him the money, she turned around and saw a Webkinz sitting on a rack in the store. She has really been wanting a new Webkinz, so she asked Sheila, one of the AWANA leaders, how much it cost. The price was $25. Ayden so badly wanted Elijah to have the motorcycle, but so badly wanted that grey horse. She struggled over what to do, and Elijah didn't want to take the money from her, but was so excited about getting the motorcycle, and he was almost in tears. I didn't offer to "fix" it; I wanted them to have this opportunity to work through the situation. In the end, Ayden decided that Elijah should get the motorcycle.
Lonnie, Sheila's husband, typically runs the store, so Sheila went to get him to find the remote control and charger for the motorcycle and to show Elijah how it works. After getting an explanation of the controls, we were ready to leave. Lonnie turned to Ayden and asked her if she wanted a Webkinz. She shook her head and responded, "I can't." He and Sheila told her that for her kind-heartedness, they wanted her to have the Webkinz. At that point, I started tearing up. Ayden opened her wallet to give them the last $10 she had, and Lonnie refused to take it. Ayden just beamed!
When we got to the van, she said "I just feel like I'm going to cry, my heart is so full!" The rest of the evening was a little emotional for her, and we got to talk about how good it feels to make others happy, and how good it feels to have someone do something so kind for us. Most of all, she knows how proud I am of her selfless decision, regardless of whether she was rewarded in the end.
Yesterday at church, our pastor dug more into Galatians 5, discussing the fruit of the Spirit in vv. 22-25. He held up a bunch of grapes, pointing out that not every grape was fully ripe on that bunch. There were a few that were ripe, so sweet and ready to eat, there were some that were almost ripe, and there were still a few grapes that were small, hard and needed more time to grow. But the grapes were one fruit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Seeing evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in my children is so, so rewarding for me, because it means that my children are getting it. And this mommy's heart is full, too.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Monday Morning Update 4.23.12
Last week was rather slow, but it meant I got to catch up on housework and schoolwork after a busy week getting ready for the Playing Them Home event!
M: I made the deposits from the Playing Them Home event, and that added $710 to our adoption fund!
W: My friend, Kate, hosted an Arbonne event for the adoption, and she stopped by with the check for our percentage earned, and just over $100 was added to our adoption fund!
R: We were supposed to meet with our homestudy social worker, but with both of us heading out of town, we decided to move our meeting. We'll have back-to-back meetings to finish our homestudy in early May. We spent the rest of the week in Tennessee, working on my mom and step-dad's vacation rentals. (I take care of the bookings/cleaning schedules for the homes, and I needed to do some shopping for the homes, as well as take new photos for their listings!)
F: We hit $1,000 in sales on the Thirty-One party, which means we got 25% of sales ($250), plus a match of $250 from an anonymous donor, which was only available if we hit $1,000! This has been quite a good week for our adoption fund!
Su: Two friends of mine, Kristin and Stephanie, hosted a combo Scentsy/Pampered Chef fundraising event for the adoption! And if you missed (or were too far away from) the party, you can buy online! You can order your Pampered Chef HERE and your Scentsy HERE. 10% of all Pampered Chef orders and 25% of all Scentsy orders will go to our adoption fund! (Just make sure you mention that your order is for the Pickett family adoption!)
In case you weren't adding, I was able to deposit over $800 into our adoption account last week, and there's another $500 heading there soon! Woohoo! Will you please pray for the $2,200 we still need quickly to cover ALL of Cullen's agency fees? We're praying to have that money by the end of the month, through our Two Times the Love Giveaway!
M: I made the deposits from the Playing Them Home event, and that added $710 to our adoption fund!
W: My friend, Kate, hosted an Arbonne event for the adoption, and she stopped by with the check for our percentage earned, and just over $100 was added to our adoption fund!
R: We were supposed to meet with our homestudy social worker, but with both of us heading out of town, we decided to move our meeting. We'll have back-to-back meetings to finish our homestudy in early May. We spent the rest of the week in Tennessee, working on my mom and step-dad's vacation rentals. (I take care of the bookings/cleaning schedules for the homes, and I needed to do some shopping for the homes, as well as take new photos for their listings!)
F: We hit $1,000 in sales on the Thirty-One party, which means we got 25% of sales ($250), plus a match of $250 from an anonymous donor, which was only available if we hit $1,000! This has been quite a good week for our adoption fund!
Su: Two friends of mine, Kristin and Stephanie, hosted a combo Scentsy/Pampered Chef fundraising event for the adoption! And if you missed (or were too far away from) the party, you can buy online! You can order your Pampered Chef HERE and your Scentsy HERE. 10% of all Pampered Chef orders and 25% of all Scentsy orders will go to our adoption fund! (Just make sure you mention that your order is for the Pickett family adoption!)
In case you weren't adding, I was able to deposit over $800 into our adoption account last week, and there's another $500 heading there soon! Woohoo! Will you please pray for the $2,200 we still need quickly to cover ALL of Cullen's agency fees? We're praying to have that money by the end of the month, through our Two Times the Love Giveaway!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Monday Morning Update 4.16.12
M: I mailed in our fingerprints for the homestudy, and they should be back within 4 weeks, right around the time we expect to wrap up the homestudy and move to the next stage.
T: Because two sets of fingerprints are better than one, I mailed in a second set to the FBI for our dossier. These are different, in that the FBI will authenticate the results of this criminal check, and the Dept. of State will need to apostille the authentication. We're praying to have the letters in less than 8 weeks, so I can carry them to D.C. to be apostilled while I'm there for a trip.
R: I picked up our team t-shirts, and Caren at Freedom Prints did a fantastic job! My kids wore their shirts for the rest of the day! The race bibs came in, so I spent the evening matching shirts to bib numbers and sorting shirts for the soccer game.
F: I met Traci at the sports complex to make sure we have a plan for everything for our Playing Them Home event on Sunday.
Sa: We had Mandy Rhodes' "Gotcha Shower" and our friend, Brooke, put so much love into planning the beautiful event. She had a Reece's Rainbow theme, including fruit kebabs and rainbow cupcakes! Mandy's boys' closet should be packed full of everything they'll need for a while after they come home, and there were a few gift cards for things they'll need later!
I got to meet the Rogers family, who are blessed with 7 children in their home, and another 2 coming soon (Bernadette and Mason)! Erika and Mel, we would love to have you in Martinsville again, your family is just beautiful! I got to meet another adoptive mommy that day, too!
Su: I had the privilege of speaking at church, announcing the adoption of Samuel Dimitar Rhodes and Joseph Ivaylo Rhodes into the Rhodes family, and telling our story. I was so nervous about speaking, but all that nervousness was gone after I began speaking, looking out at familiar faces, and seeing all the Team VikTory t-shirts!
After speaking, I went straight to the Smith River Sports Complex to begin setting up for Playing Them Home, the 5k and soccer tournament we held with the Morton family. We had a great turnout, more than I expected for our first year, and I got to meet another adoptive mom, Tara Sartain, adopting 15 year old Rachel! In case you missed the announcement, the event brought in a total of $1,000! Even. How cool is that?!
Well, that's last week in a nutshell! It was a crazy, fun week!
T: Because two sets of fingerprints are better than one, I mailed in a second set to the FBI for our dossier. These are different, in that the FBI will authenticate the results of this criminal check, and the Dept. of State will need to apostille the authentication. We're praying to have the letters in less than 8 weeks, so I can carry them to D.C. to be apostilled while I'm there for a trip.
R: I picked up our team t-shirts, and Caren at Freedom Prints did a fantastic job! My kids wore their shirts for the rest of the day! The race bibs came in, so I spent the evening matching shirts to bib numbers and sorting shirts for the soccer game.
F: I met Traci at the sports complex to make sure we have a plan for everything for our Playing Them Home event on Sunday.
Sa: We had Mandy Rhodes' "Gotcha Shower" and our friend, Brooke, put so much love into planning the beautiful event. She had a Reece's Rainbow theme, including fruit kebabs and rainbow cupcakes! Mandy's boys' closet should be packed full of everything they'll need for a while after they come home, and there were a few gift cards for things they'll need later!
I got to meet the Rogers family, who are blessed with 7 children in their home, and another 2 coming soon (Bernadette and Mason)! Erika and Mel, we would love to have you in Martinsville again, your family is just beautiful! I got to meet another adoptive mommy that day, too!
Su: I had the privilege of speaking at church, announcing the adoption of Samuel Dimitar Rhodes and Joseph Ivaylo Rhodes into the Rhodes family, and telling our story. I was so nervous about speaking, but all that nervousness was gone after I began speaking, looking out at familiar faces, and seeing all the Team VikTory t-shirts!
After speaking, I went straight to the Smith River Sports Complex to begin setting up for Playing Them Home, the 5k and soccer tournament we held with the Morton family. We had a great turnout, more than I expected for our first year, and I got to meet another adoptive mom, Tara Sartain, adopting 15 year old Rachel! In case you missed the announcement, the event brought in a total of $1,000! Even. How cool is that?!
Well, that's last week in a nutshell! It was a crazy, fun week!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Monday Morning Update 4.9.12
M: Our Thirty-One Online Party is OPEN! Order through my event by April 15, and 20% of your total purchase will be given to our adoption fund! And just in April, spend $31, and choose any purse at 50% off!
T: Our 'Two Times the Love' Giveaway is OPEN! Ten prizes for the ChipIn, plus a bonus prize for donors to our FSP, and we're raising the money to add Cullen to our adoption!
W: Fingerprints are done! And thanks to technology, we didn't even have inky fingers! The kids were with us, so Scott and I took turns going back to the holding room. Ayden and Elijah GRILLED me on what was through those doors, and wouldn't let up until I told them that, yes, I saw a criminal back there.
R: We had our first homestudy meeting with our social worker. It was so much more relaxed than I had imagined, though it was still intimidating having someone question our decision. (It's her job, though, so I don't fault her a bit, and she was really positive through the whole meeting.)
Sa: We went to the sports complex to make sure we had our 5K route down... it's going to be a great run! We came home to discover that my dad had brought more hand-crafted walking sticks for us to sell to raise money for the adoption! I sold 5 within hours of posting this photo on facebook:
Su: We celebrated Christ's resurrection, gave thanks for our adoption into God's family, for the incredible sacrifice He was, and for our undeserved redemption.
This week I'm focusing on pulling together the rest of our paperwork for the homestudy, and beginning to look at the rest of the dossier check list. I want to always be ready for the next step in the process! And looking forward to getting everything ready for the Soccer Tournament and 5K!
T: Our 'Two Times the Love' Giveaway is OPEN! Ten prizes for the ChipIn, plus a bonus prize for donors to our FSP, and we're raising the money to add Cullen to our adoption!
W: Fingerprints are done! And thanks to technology, we didn't even have inky fingers! The kids were with us, so Scott and I took turns going back to the holding room. Ayden and Elijah GRILLED me on what was through those doors, and wouldn't let up until I told them that, yes, I saw a criminal back there.
R: We had our first homestudy meeting with our social worker. It was so much more relaxed than I had imagined, though it was still intimidating having someone question our decision. (It's her job, though, so I don't fault her a bit, and she was really positive through the whole meeting.)
Sa: We went to the sports complex to make sure we had our 5K route down... it's going to be a great run! We came home to discover that my dad had brought more hand-crafted walking sticks for us to sell to raise money for the adoption! I sold 5 within hours of posting this photo on facebook:
Su: We celebrated Christ's resurrection, gave thanks for our adoption into God's family, for the incredible sacrifice He was, and for our undeserved redemption.
This week I'm focusing on pulling together the rest of our paperwork for the homestudy, and beginning to look at the rest of the dossier check list. I want to always be ready for the next step in the process! And looking forward to getting everything ready for the Soccer Tournament and 5K!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Monday Morning Update 4.2.12
Recap from last week:
M: We spoke to our social worker, and our first meeting is scheduled for this week! If all goes smoothly, we'll have our homestudy in hand in 8 weeks.
T: We spoke to our placing agency about adding Cullen to our application in their country. We found out the fees for adding a second child to the adoption are $3,575, which includes our placing and foreign agency fees. We began praying about fundraising for those fees.
I found out that my passport was entered into the Dept. of State system on 3/20, and taking care of the passport at the post office means I should have my passport back within 4 weeks of the date it's entered, hopefully 2 weeks from now.
W: Our Family Sponsorship Program is set up on Reece's Rainbow! And because we can't share our kids' real names, we're calling our daughter "Katrin", which will be her middle name, and our son "Cullen", since that's his alias on RR. (We can't share their real names until the adoption is finalized, for their privacy.)
R: Prizes for our fundraiser started coming together, and I'm amazed at the generosity of both friends and strangers. Our FSP is already at $160!
Sa: My passport came in the mail! (That was fast!!!) A copy has to be included in the dossier, so this is one more item to check off the list!
Su: $260 on the FSP!
Happy Monday everyone!
M: We spoke to our social worker, and our first meeting is scheduled for this week! If all goes smoothly, we'll have our homestudy in hand in 8 weeks.
T: We spoke to our placing agency about adding Cullen to our application in their country. We found out the fees for adding a second child to the adoption are $3,575, which includes our placing and foreign agency fees. We began praying about fundraising for those fees.
I found out that my passport was entered into the Dept. of State system on 3/20, and taking care of the passport at the post office means I should have my passport back within 4 weeks of the date it's entered, hopefully 2 weeks from now.
W: Our Family Sponsorship Program is set up on Reece's Rainbow! And because we can't share our kids' real names, we're calling our daughter "Katrin", which will be her middle name, and our son "Cullen", since that's his alias on RR. (We can't share their real names until the adoption is finalized, for their privacy.)
R: Prizes for our fundraiser started coming together, and I'm amazed at the generosity of both friends and strangers. Our FSP is already at $160!
Sa: My passport came in the mail! (That was fast!!!) A copy has to be included in the dossier, so this is one more item to check off the list!
Su: $260 on the FSP!
Happy Monday everyone!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday Morning Update 3.26.12
Recap from last week:
We paid our homestudy fees, and now we're waiting to talk to the social worker to get our first of three visits done ASAP!
All of our Reece's Rainbow "Family Sponsorship Program" (FSP) paperwork ready to send in, just as soon as we get that first appointment scheduled. This means tax-deductible donations!
The check for my passport cleared the bank, so I'm hoping this means my little book is coming in the mail soon!
We've paid $11,084 since January, and you can see where all of that money has gone, and where the money on the ticker is going next. $837 is due soon, and we're almost there!
We're hanging on to a BIG announcement, so as soon as I can, I'll post the news! Stay tuned!
We paid our homestudy fees, and now we're waiting to talk to the social worker to get our first of three visits done ASAP!
All of our Reece's Rainbow "Family Sponsorship Program" (FSP) paperwork ready to send in, just as soon as we get that first appointment scheduled. This means tax-deductible donations!
The check for my passport cleared the bank, so I'm hoping this means my little book is coming in the mail soon!
We've paid $11,084 since January, and you can see where all of that money has gone, and where the money on the ticker is going next. $837 is due soon, and we're almost there!
We're hanging on to a BIG announcement, so as soon as I can, I'll post the news! Stay tuned!
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