Flights are booked

Our flights are booked!  In 11 days, Jeff and two of our older children will board an airplane and go to the country our boys are from and in less than 24 hours from take-off, they will arrive.  (We are still not able to publicly say which country our boys are from, but we will be able to announce it to the world once we officially adopt them.)  In 17 days, Jeff will be holding our boys...17 days!  WOW!!!


We have much to do.  Thankfully, Jeff's last day at work is today and he will be taking all of his saved up vacation time for this adoption.  We are so blessed that he works for a company that will allow him to do this!!!  Thank you, God for this blessing!!

I'm off to plan, pack, make lists and lists of lists.....

Happy 2nd Birthday, Matthew

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Matthew,
Happy Birthday to you.


Today is your 2nd birthday.  It is your last birthday as an orphan.  You may not know it just yet, but you have a BIG family in Texas, USA, who loves you and cherishes you.  You are important.  You are loved.  You are wanted.   You are our son, brother, nephew, grandson, great-grandson, neighbor, friend, and child of the King!  


Ohhhh, when we get you home, how we will celebrate your 2nd birthday!  You are going to have cake and ice cream, presents, horse back rides, hugs and kisses galore!  This is your day, the day you were born, born to be ours before we even knew the miracle that is you.   We love you, Matthew!  Happy 2nd Birthday sweet boy!!!

WE HAVE OUR TRAVEL DATE!!!!!!!

I woke up this morning and checked my email first thing just like I have for the past three weeks.  This is what I found:


SDA Appointment: Dec. 1




Short and sweet.  Our SDA appointment is set for Dec. 1 at 9:00 am.  Jeff and two of our older children will leave this great nation Nov. 29 and travel for one full day and arrive in our boys country.  They will have the second day to acclimate and recover from traveling before attend the SDA (adoption authorities) appointment on Dec. 1 and receive the official referral to adopt Matthew and Michael.


Jeff should be HOLDING our boys Dec. 3rd.  That is 23 days from today.....23 days!!!  They will NEVER be alone again.  They will never not know the loving arms of their family.  They will never again have to wonder if they have been picked.  They will know.

23 days from now Matthew and Michael will meet their daddy, and their brother and sister.  They will learn that their fate will not be an institution, but instead a loving home filled with laughter, love, hugs and kisses.  They will learn what it is to be WANTED!  They will learn what it is to be LOVED!  They will learn what it is to be IMPORTANT!,  They will learn about JESUS!


There is lots of praising GOD in this house today!  He is so good!

ANOTHER vote.....PRAYER WARRIORS, we need you, AGAIN!

The country our boys are in has decided to, once again, take a vote concerning adoptions from their country. The date for the reading of the new adoption legislation and subsequent vote has been scheduled for November 24...from what I can gather *unofficially*.  If this vote passes and is signed by their President, all adoptions will cease during this transition.  There are 70 families from Reece's Rainbow in various stages of the adoption process who are adopting over 100 children who would be immediately affected.  ALL of these children have some kind of special need and many have urgent medical needs.  Our family is one of these families and we are so close to getting our boys out.

A moratorium would place these children in grave danger.  Please, join us in prayer that the vote will not pass!  If the vote passes and a moratorium is put in place, we pray that at least the adoptions that are in progress will be allowed to complete the adoption process and the children will receive the life-saving care they so desperately need.  Below is a statement released from the founder of Reece's Rainbow:

"IF they do indeed put a moratorium in place, we are advocating HARD with Congressional Leaders, the US State Dept, the US Embassy in (our boys country) and our facilitation teams on the ground there in  (our boys country) to make sure the voice of these children is heard, and that the parliament there understands the life-altering gravity of their decision to impose a closure, even for a short period of time. Even under the guise of improving the process or moving towards Hague compliance, this would be nothing short of a human rights violation, to prevent the adoption of those children with special needs."

Still waiting....

No SDA appointment date....yet!  It's coming.  Our paperwork has been at the SDA for 15 days and they are reviewing it.  Now, we wait for them to invite us to come to our boys country and meet with the SDA authorities and accept their official referral to adopt Michael and Matthew.  Waiting can be tough but we know God's timing is perfect!  So, here are some things we are doing while we wait for our travel date:

1. PRAY...A LOT!


2. Check email....A LOT!


3. Finish up paperwork that Jeff will hand carry to our boys country


4. Make lists of things we need to do


5. Make lists of the lists so we don't forget anything


6. PRAY some more


7. Check email...AGAIN!


8. Think about packing....have yet to actually pack...but I'm thinking about it


9. Read other people's blogs who have gone down this path ahead of us


10. PRAY

There you have it. That's what we do to pass the time...well some of the things.  Yes, we still do school, laundry, grocery shop, cook, clean, take care of the kids and animals, etc, but in the quiet moments at home when daily things settle down, these are the top 10 things we do to stay busy.

25 years and counting...

25 years ago today, I became Mrs. Debbie H.! I feel so blessed to have such a Christian, Godly husband and father to our children. 25 years! They have FLOWN by. God has blessed us with 6 beautiful children, soon to be 8, and I am sooooooooooo excited to see what He has in store for us these next 25 years, and the next, and the next and the next....


We had a nice lunch together, sharing a card and presents and then attended church in the evening.  Today was EXACTLY like it was 25 years ago; warm, breezy with clear blue skies. Today was a great day, indeed!

Happy Anniversary, Jeff!!!

Christmas Warrior

This is Darren.  He lives in Eastern Europe...in an orphanage waiting for his forever family to find him.  Starting Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, we will try to raise at least $1000 for his adoption grant. This money will help his forever family fund his adoption.  There are no shortage of families wanting to adopt, just the funds to do it.  International adoption is not cheap because of things like airfare, food/housing/transportation while in country, document prep, legal fees, passports, medical exams, police clearances, etc....I could go on and on.  Every penny we raise for Darren will be that much less that his forever family will have to raise. 

Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15, for every $35 you donate, you will receive a picture ornament for your Christmas tree.  Please consider helping us to help Darren.






I'm a Christmas Warrior for DARREN

Now we wait....and some new pics!

Now we wait for our invitation to go to the SDA to formally accept our boys referral from EE.  The referral is basically the country our boys are in giving us permission to adopt them.  We will, of course, accept this referral!


We are praying for information on our travel date to come within the week.  The actual travel date could be as soon as in a couple of weeks to....well, who knows when.  We are praying for the quickest date!


These boys need us and we need them!  They need a family who will love them unconditionally.  They need to know the love of our Father.  Very soon, Matthew and Michael, very soon mommy and daddy will hold you and kiss you.  We're coming....

...for you, Matthew!

 

...and for you, Michael!

SUBMITTED

At 4:20 pm, I opened my email and discovered that we were submitted to the SDA, the EE adoption authorities.  That means all of our documents have been translated and sent to the powers-that-be in the country our boys are in and we will now wait about another week for an invitation to come visit the SDA and accept the boys formal referral from their country.


We could be TRAVELING to their country in as little as TWO WEEKS but most likely it will be three to four.  Either way, it is not very long.  Jeff will be holding and loving on our boys in less than a month.  They are sooooooooo worth the wait!


LOT's of praising GOD going on in our house today.  Thank you, Father, for this submission. Thank you for carrying us through this journey.

Anne Marie has gone to live with Jesus

It is with a very heavy heart that I must share with you the sad news that another of our precious babies from the orphanage has gone to live with Jesus.  We are loosing children so fast.  If only they had families and the proper medical care and good nutrition....  How VERY real this is.  PLEASE, consider bringing home one of these orphans!  If you are not called to adopt, PLEASE consider donating to an adoption fund so a waiting family can go get them sooner. 


Please visit Reece's Rainbow, a Christian Orphan Ministry, and see where God leads you.

  

http://www.reecesrainbow.org/eelittles.html 

Dance with Jesus, sweet Anne Marie, Dance with Jesus!

Blessings ~ In the form of a Triple Stroller and the $$ to pay for it!

Yes, I do believe blessings can come in the form of a Triple Baby Stroller and the money to pay for it!  I have been searching for a triple stroller ever since we knew we were going to be bringing home Michael and Matthew.  I've looked in Ebay and our local Craigslist for months.  I did find several I liked on Ebay so I knew what I was hoping for. I REALLY wanted to find one locally so I could see it and look it over before buying, so I never bought one from Ebay. 


Yesterday, I got the idea to place a 'Wanted to Buy' ad on Craigslist.  Less than ten minutes later I get this in my inbox:

It is the EXACT type of triple stroller I had been looking at on Ebay!  The family who has it lives a few hours away but their sister lives only 20 minutes from me and they will bring it next weekend or the next when they go visit their sister.  What a blessing!!!


THEN...

 I go to my mailbox today and there is a card from a dear friend I have known since childhood.  She sent me a check and a sweet note saying "Please use this money to buy a triple stroller."  I was floored and speechless! WOW!  I am humbled to be given such a blessing!  


Thank You, Father, for this blessing!  I will treasure it!  

And, thank you Dawna for such a thoughtful note and gift!

10-10-10

Today is 10-10-10! Pretty neat numbers. Our daughter, Rachel, is also 10! Very cool! We spent the day at home, working around our place fixing fences and heat lamps. Nothing too exciting. All is well.


I'm praying our boys in EE are well, and warm, and fed. I'm praying they somehow know we are coming and can feel the unconditional love of their family who are desperately trying to get to them. I'm praying that 10-10-10 was a nice day for them as well.

More alike than different

October is National Down syndrome Awareness month.  People living with Down syndrome are more alike than different than those not living with Ds.


People with Down syndrome have the EXACT SAME 46 chromosomes as those who do not have Ds!  They just have one extra, an extra 21st chromosome.


People with Ds can learn all the same things in school and life as people who do not have DS, just in their own time...like everyone else!


People with Ds can and do: graduate, drive, go to college, live alone, hold down a job, marry, have children, retire, and live to a ripe old age just like people who do not have Ds.


People with Ds can also have Autism, Leukemia, Alzheimers or anything else that people who do not have Ds can have. So, if you see someone with Down syndrome who has severe symptoms, they may have another medical diagnosis in addition to Down syndrome.


People with Ds are not always happy.  Nobody is!


People with Ds are regular people living with a medical diagnosis that has symptoms that may need to be cared for and worked through.


People with Ds hurt when they are made fun of.  Don't do it!


People with Ds can develop strong, life-long relationships.  I've been friends with Andrea for over 40 years.  She has Ds, I do not.


People with Ds can love our Heavenly Father and give their heart to Him!


People with Ds can do anything God leads them to do...just like those people who do not have Ds.


People with Ds can and do grow up and don't always believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny!


People with Ds may face mental or physical challenges in their lives, just like those who do not have Ds.


I could go on and on with example after example of how people living with Down syndrome are more alike than different than those who do not have Ds.  Basically, we are all human beings, made perfectly by our Father God.  We should all honor and accept that we are unique individuals with our own set of challenges and abilities.

People Magazine's 'Readers' Choice Here'...VOTE for Andrea of Reece's Rainbow

People Magazine is holding a "Readers' Choice Hero" contest. Please vote for Andrea R. founder of Reece's Rainbow International Down syndrome Adoption Ministry.  Andrea advocates for orphans around the world who have Down syndrome and other special needs.

You can vote until Oct. 8th as often as you like, there is no limit and it only takes a minute.  One minute of your time can give life to an orphan...now GO VOTE, please!

https://styleentertainment.timeinc.net/people/readerhero/

Feel free to visit Reece's Rainbow's website after you vote.  You never know where God will lead you...

http://www.reecesrainbow.org/eelittles.html

Dossier with apostilles

This is what a complete dossier with apostilles looks like.  It took just over 4 months to obtain all these documents.  The first set of 10 documents with apostilles has already been sent to EE.

The dossier consists of 41 different documents and each document is notarized and then apostilled by the Secretary of State of Texas.  Here is the SOS building in Austin, our State Capital, where we drove 7 hours and waited a mere 20 minutes while our dossier was apostilled.

We toured the State Capital after we got our dossier apostilled.

 

 After we toured the State Capital, we grabbed a bite to eat and drove the 7 hours back home.  We had a great time on the road trip.  Everyone traveled well and slept VERY well that night!

AF

Our Dossier is outta here!

 Yesterday at 12:40pm, I took our beloved dossier over to the Fed Ex place and handed it over to a complete stranger.  It was not easy, my voice cracked and I almost cried but I handed over the dossier because I trust that it is in God's hands now.  I snapped a picture of the Fed Ex lady taking our dossier and that was it.  We were done and off to the 
county fair.  Simple as that. 

 

 



















Now we wait for the 41 documents and the 41 apostilles to be translated and be submitted to the EE adoption authorities.  We'll then receive a travel date and go for our first trip.  It is during this first trip that we go accept a formal invitation from EE to adopt the boys.  We'll get to visit the boys and then have court for the formal adoption.  There will be a 10-day wait before everything is final, we will come home during this, and then we can bring the boys home!  This process sounds pretty quick, but it generally takes between 5-6 weeks once you travel.


We are praying we get the boys home by Thanksgiving and the adoption finalized here in the USA by Dec. 31.

October is Down syndrome awareness month

Today marks the first day of a 30 day challenge to blog about Down syndrome every day to bring awareness to this medical condition.  The Challenge is called "31 for 21".  The '21' stands for Trisomy 21 because Down syndrome is a condition where the person who has it has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two copies.

The name Down syndrome comes from the man who first described it, Dr. John Langdon Down.  There is no 'S' after Down in Down syndrome because Dr. Down does not own the syndrome, it is just named after his last name of Down.


There are three types of Down syndrome: Trisomy 21, Translocation Ds and Mosaic Ds.  

Trisomy 21 means the person diagnosed has three separate copies of chromosome 21 in every cell of their body.  

Translocation Ds means the person diagnosed has three copies of  chromosome 21 but the third copy of the 21st chromosome is attached to another chromosome instead of being separate.

Mosaic Down syndrome means there are three copies of the 21st chromosome is only some cell lines throughout the body and not in others.  Some people with Mosaic Ds have the third copy only in the blood line and not in the skin, marrow, brain, etc.,  while other people may have the extra copy in the brain and bone lines and not in the blood, muscle, etc. 

Down syndrome is nothing to be afraid of.  It is simply a medical diagnosis with symptoms that may need attention like any other medical diagnosis.  People who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome do not 'suffer' from it, they are just regular people living with a medical diagnosis and thriving through life with it.

Good news from the missions team

Today God answered another prayer.   I got to visit with a member of the RR missions team about my boys.  All is well.  The team got to go visit the orphanage my boys are staying in and got to love on them for a little while, hold them and play.  I am forever grateful for this information and update as it rarely happens for adopting families. 


Both boys are doing well.  They are learning how to sit and vocalize and are both very alert.  Both are in about 12-18 month clothes.  Both boys were not afraid of being with new people and loved, loved, loved all the attention,  which is a good thing, because with our crew, there will be LOT'S of attention once we get them home!


We were told we will need to take heavy winter clothes for them when we go as it is getting very cold there already and we still have several weeks until we go before our travel date.  I will be on the look-out for size 18 month winter snow suits, little boots, etc.They could not estimate what size shoes they might be wearing because their little feet were all bundled up. 


**The one thing the team mentioned that the orphanage NEEDS is CLOTH diapers.  The orphanage has NONE and the children were wrapped up in soiled blankets as their diapers.  I happen to be in the midst of making some so we will take these over when it is time to travel.  I'll also be on the look-out for good, used cloth diapers on Craigslist and garage sales.  We want to bless the orphanage with these so if anyone reading this has any you would like to donate, please contact me here ASAP and we will be honored to take them as well.

NEW Pictures makes a mommy's heart sing

Reece's Rainbow has a team in EE right now on a mission trip and guess what they did??  They visited the orphanage my boys are in and took some of the most precious pictures of Matthew and Michael I have ever seen.  They have grown so much.  We cannot get them home quick enough. Enjoy!

                                         

Matthew-age 22 months

              

Michael - age 4 years

 

      

PRAISE AND GLORY TO GOD!

We just received word that the government in Eastern Europe has decided to POST PONE the vote for an undetermined amount of time!  Adoptions WILL be allowed to continue during this time! PRAISE GOD, OUR FATHER!  He is in control!


Isaiah 49:25 But thus says the LORD:

"Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children."

Time of Vote is in 20 min...Calling all Prayer Warriors

I JUST found out that the vote in Eastern Europe that decides whether or not to continue to allow adoptions will be taken at 6:00pm their time which is 10:00am our time.  That is in less than 20 minutes!  Please join me all you prayer warriors in covering this vote in prayer for the next hour or so.  God has this!

We have the all clear...and now the vote...

That ONE piece of paper we have been waiting for.....came today!  We have the all clear to adopt BOTH boys!!!!!  I give thanks to God for once again moving mountains on our behalf.

The vote to continue allowing adoptions or stop them is tomorrow.  Technically, it happens tonight while we are all sleeping.  Please be in prayer that this vote is voted down and adoptions will be allowed to continue.

John 14:18

"I Will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" John 14:18

Two Urgent Prayer Requests

1. The country our boys are from has decided to hold a vote on Tuesday, September 21.  If this vote passes, there will be either a moratorium on adoptions or a complete halt to all adoptions in this country.  Please join us in prayer that this vote is voted down and adoptions will continue.

2. We received news that we need one specific document from the country our boys are from in order to adopt Matthew. Without it, he cannot be adopted by anyone.  Please be in prayer that this document will be provided so we can continue our quest to bring home BOTH Matthew and Michael. 


God knows both these situations, they are not surprises to Him.  We'll ask for His favor and follow where He leads.  We'll continue to do all that is humanly possible to bring home both Matthew and Michael and leave the rest in God's mighty hands.

Olga

Sweet Olga has gone to live with Jesus.  She was a precious little girl who lived in the same orphanage as Matthew and Michael.  She was transferred out of the baby house to an institution due to her age and lived only a few short weeks once there.  Please, please pray for the kids left behind and especially those who are fixing to be transferred.  Their lives depend on it.  Dance with Jesus sweet Olga, dance with Jesus!

Happy 4th Birthday, Michael

Today is Michael's 4th birthday.  We will celebrate this day in a BIG way when we get the boys home!  It will be a day filled with love, laughter, freedom and cake!!   How I long to celebrate this day with you, Michael!!  Hold on sweet boy.  Mommy and daddy are coming for you as fast as we can.  You are not alone any more...

Happy 4th birthday, Michael!

SaturdaySurprise in the Mailbox

My husband stopped by the mailbox after work yesterday and brought in a letter from  "The Department of Homeland Security".  Hummmmm, we just received notice via email on Thursday that our I600A had been approved so it is wayyyyy too early for our I-171H to arrive in the mail.....or is it???

This is what was in the envelope:

 The pink pages stopped me in my tracks because in the world of I-600A's, pink slips mean that the USCIS need more evidence in order to process your paperwork.  Well, evidently, in the world of I-171H's, pink paper means.....APPROVED!


God literally moved mountains for this one piece of paper, literally moved paper mountains!  I am humbled to be in the midst of such things. 


I called our social worker and now dear friend, Ashley, and shared the good news with her and we rejoiced and gave words of thanks in prayer over the phone together.  You have no idea what a trooper Ashley was during the process of our homestudy.   Her long hours of research, weeks of compiling our HS and dedication are awe inspiring. God led us directly to her and He began the process of this very moment several years ago.   We had no idea His works were already being laid out when He crossed our paths more than three years ago.  Very humbling!


SO, there you have it, our mailbox surprise.  The long-awaited, USCIS I-600A approval called the I-171H.  

WHATS NEXT:

This document will now go to the Texas Secretary of State to be Apostilled.  We'll then send it, along with all our other documents, to EE to be translated and submitted to their adoption entity called the SDA.  Then we wait for our travel date to go to the SDA appointment which will be the 'official referral' for adoption for Matthew and Michael.  After the SDA referral,  we get to go meet the boys at their orphanage, then receive a Ukrainian court date and go to court to legally adopt them.  There will be a 10 day wait period after court and on the 11th day, WE CAN GO GET THEM and bring them home!  There will be some legal paperwork once back in America but I am told this will be a breeze.

It's so nice to see the end in sight, still quite a ways off, but in sight.  I often wonder what, if anything, the boys have been told.  Do they know there is a family in America who are desperately trying to get them out of the orphanage?  Do they know how much we love them and what a big part of our family they already are?  My mind often races to them as they lay in their cribs day after day trying to offer comfort to them, trying to will my love to go to them, trying to tell them to hold on, we are coming!  Thank you, Father, for taking care of our boys in our absence.  Please continue to give the orphanage workers a soft heart, gentle hands and great patience as they carry out the day-to-day care taking of our boys.

Fall Family Photo with all 8 kids....sort of!

Our 12 year old son cropped in Matthew and Michael into our Fall Family Photo so they would be included.  This will be the LAST  Fall family picture without all 8 children.  Good job, Jason!  The picture turned out very sweet.

I-600A APPROVED!

We received a call from our US Rep. office and an email from our USCIS officer this morning saying that our I-600A was approved yesterday!  Now we wait for the I-171H to arrive in the mail, have it apostilled and then we can send our dossier to EE as soon as that one last pesky document is signed in EE.  Getting closer...

The boys and their new, forever names:

Here are a couple of pictures of the boys!  I cannot wait to get a hold of them and love on them.

Matthew

Michael

USCIS Fingerprints...DONE!

Yesterday, the four adults in our household went down to the local USCIS office, unannounced, and prayed that our fingerprints would be taken....they were!  We had NO problems even though our official appointment was for 9-1-10 for Jeff and I and for 9-20-10 for the kids!   God open the doors and hearts of the people in that office, they let us in and all went smooth.    

Please join us in prayer that the I-171H, the document saying our I-600A has been approved, comes quickly.  The I-600A is the petition to the USA government to allow us to adopt from another country.  The country our boys come from in Eastern Europe CLOSES  to all NEW adoptions from Nov. 1 through Feb. 1.  We need to get all our paperwork over to EE by Oct. 1 to allow for translation and processing time to make this cut-off date.  We cannot send over our paperwork without the I-171H.

We wrote a letter with pictures of both boys to our US Representitive, Congressman Randy Neugebauer with the hope that he will call USCIS on our behalf to expedite the processing of the I-600A.  We have faith that he will.   

One step closer...

Second CSP and POA's...DELIVERED!

Our second CSP and the new POA's were DELIVERED to EE on 8-20-10!  Just THREE days after we mailed them.  I cannot wait to go tell the FedEx angel that her tactic worked perfectly.  I'm sure she already knows because she told me she would be watching for the delivery from her FedEx computer as well.


This delivery means the world to one little orphan in EE.  It means he will not be transferred to an instidution in two weeks on his 4th birthday!  It means he gets to stay at the "baby house" and wait for his forever family to come for him.  Hold on, my sweet boy, hold on!

Second CSP and POA's sent today...and a FedEx angel

Now that we have officially committed to both boys, we needed to send in another CSP, Child Specific Petition, with both their information on the document to EE.  This CSP lets the EE country our boys are from know that we are committed to adopting them and they are taken off other adoption lists.  We also sent in fresh POA's, Power of Attorney, since our first set had these weird numberings that were not supposed to be on the page but that our Word program randomly placed there.


Anywho, we took all these documents to Fed Ex today and asked them to put a $0 value on the envelope since that is what our stateside team told us was best.  If a dollar amount is placed in the value box, then the documents might get held up in customs in EE for weeks at a time and we do not want that.  This has happened time and again to other adoptive families.  The lady at Fed Ex told me her computer system refused to let her put the $0 value in the computer and would not let her even make a mailing label.  What to do?? 


Thankfully, the lady at Fed Ex came up with a solution.  She totally broke all the rules and placed a $1 amount in the computer system so a mailing label could be generated but then she allowed us to write in a $0 value on the actual mailing label and placed it on the envelope.  Very ingenious!  Let's pray the discrepancy does not get noticed anywhere and that the package sails through to EE with flying colors!!  
This package should arrive in EE on Monday, 8-23-10.  I'll keep a close check on it via the tracking number and pray it arrives on time.  Our second little man turns 4 in 3 weeks and will be sent to the institution if these documents do not get there on time. I believe they will!  God has this!

FBI fingerprintint appointment is set...

We received our FBI fingerprinting appointment in the mail yesterday.  It is set for September 1.  The home address on my appointment card is wrong so I'm going to have to call NBC adoptions Monday to see if they can send out a corrected form.  We are still waiting for our two adult childrens appointments to arrive in the mail.  I'm thinking these will arrive today.  Things are moving forward.

I600A SENT to USCIS today!

We sent in our I600A to USCIS along with our homestudy and a host of other documents.  This is a HUGE step in the adoption process, HUGE!  And, what a relief to have this part done.  Thank you God for getting us through this phase with ease.  Now, we wait...and I've not been so good at waiting in the past so I am turning all this waiting stuff over to God and I'm going to rest in Him during this time.

I was reminded of an old hym today...thank you Jasmine...and it is a good reminder for us all but especially those of us facing challenges during the adoption process.  Here is the chorus:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know, he holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

That still small voice...

Have you ever heard "that still, small voice" and waited to see if it would get louder?  That is what has happened to us over the past couple of months.  God has been speaking softly in to our hearts about another little boy in the same orphanage as AJ.  Another little boy who needs a mommy and daddy to kiss his sweet cheeks, feed him when he is hungry and comfort him when he is afraid.  Time and again, we have been drawn back to this precious little one, looking at his picture and praying that his forever family would come find him.  Time and again, that "still, small voice" just kept getting louder and louder.  We had to act!  After MUCH pray and thought over several months, today was the day...

Today, his forever family has found him!!  Today, we answered the call, the call to bring this youngster into our family!  We officially committed to adopt Michael as well as AJ!!!   Michael is a precious 3 year old, almost 4 year old, who is full of life and will thrive once we get him home.   He has some health issues but we are not afraid.  God has perfectly equipped our family for exactly this and we are honored to answer His call. 

                        Introducing: Michael!

The home study is DONE!

Today, the home study is DONE!  Our very gracious HS preparer has so diligently gone through our HS, line-by-line-by-line ten dozen times....or more.  She allowed us to preview and suggest changes time and again.  I am so thankful God directed her to us!  Today, our home study is done and that is HUGE!  We will send it to the state-side team today to read over and make suggestions.  I'm thinking there will be nothing to suggest because it is that well prepared!  Thank you, Ashley, for your commitment, your diligence and all the hard work that you put into this HS!  What a gift you are to us and this journey!

This is the moment our home study was signed by the notary and the social worker.  Thank you Douglas and Ashley for all you have done!!

Prayers Warriors

Through the grace of God, this adoption process has gone very smoothly up to this point.  I am so grateful for that because when things go smoothly, babies get rescued quicker!  Our home study is nearing it's end with the rough draft being written as I type.  Prayer warriors, please stand in agreement with us that the rest of this process will continue to go smoothly and according to His plan.  Please stand in agreement with us that our finances will come through in a timely manner and not delay the process.  It is not cheap to rescue a child, for sure, but through hard work, God's grace and a little help along the way, this too will come together.

Please be on the lookout for exciting updates coming soon...

Powerful Words of Wisdom from a fellow Reese's Rainbow mom

"It isn't faith unless you're doing something you couldn't do apart from God. We are called to do big, crazy things that don't make sense to the world, things that challenge our fears and put our feet right on the edge.

Yes, I think it's completely biblical to give others the opportunity to follow God's commands to care for orphans. It is every bit as biblical as World Vision or Feed the Children reaching out to ask people to help with their efforts. It is every bit as biblical as the church asking its members to fund the efforts of its missionaries.

Every person who supports you in your journey---you are giving them the unbelievable opportunity to be a part of this bigness...you are drawing them in to obedience to God at its core...you are allowing them to be a part of saving a child...you are making it real and tangible...you are His hands and feet on this earth... There will be those who consider international special needs adoption something only superheroes do, and you will put a face on courage, boldness, and
obedience."

Praying for God's peace to flood you. :)
Ashley Mo

Medical paperwork...DONE!

Today we met with our doctor and our notary down at the doctor's office to sign and notarize our medical paperwork.  I'm so glad all the parties were able to come together at one time, in one spot to get this done!  Thank you, thank you everyone involved for paving the way for this!! So many adoptive families have had issues with this portion of the journey and I am grateful to God and everyone involved that, for us, all went very smooth!  Thank you so much!!!

I sent in this paperwork along with 4 other notarized documents to our state-side team to be checked.  All the documents looked in order and we were cleared to send everything to the Secretary of State to be apostilled!  I will get this done Monday.  It should take about a week for the SOS to return the apostilled documents to me.  Once we have our completed home study, DPS background checks and get those notarized and then apostilled we will be able to send everything over to USCIS where we wait for our FBI fingerprint appointment.  Once cleared, we will then send all our documents (our dossier) over to Eastern Europe where everything will be translated and approved by the SDA.  Then we get our travel date and off we go to meet our little man!

That will be trip #1.  On that trip we get the official referral from the SDA, meet our little man and go to court where we officially become his parents. Yeah!!!  There is a 10-day wait period, that we are praying will be waived... and occasionally is... before we can bring him home. The wait period is primarily for the birth family should they decide to come forward and contest the adoption.  This RARELY happens.  We can come home during the 10-day wait period and then return to pick him up or just stay there and wait.  We will most likely come home during the wait period.  

The second trip is when we get to take our son out of the orphanage for the last time and walk outta there to freedom, fresh air and family.  This day is known as "Gotcha Day"!  What a wonderful day that will be!  We will then go get his birth certificate, Visa and Passport before making the trip back home.

SO, there you have it in a nut shell.  The process from this point to that. 

$$ answers - because several have asked

It costs a LOT to rescue an orphan!  NO, we do not have this money laying around.  We are working like crazy earning this, doing what we have to do like selling everything in sight, offering horseback riding lessons to local children, cooking everything at home, being even more frugal than usual, etc.  We have faith that we will be able to earn what is required.  God has this!

So, here's the breakdown for those who have asked:

$800 homestudy
$200 our passports
$200 apostilled documents
$500 mailing documents
$1000 USCIS,i-600a and fingerprinting
$5000 flights*
$8600 EE legal fees/facilitator fees
$1700 first trip lodging ($80/nt 3 weeks)
$1100 second trip lodging ($80/nt 2 weeks)
$450 first trip food/other supplies ($20/day 3 weeks)
$250 second trip food/other supplies ($20/day 2 weeks)
$1200 both children passports
$1100 Visa and Medical for both children
$2000 transportation (in country)
$2000 orphanage donation/dossier preparation costs

* I will update these as the actual figures come in

Naming AJ

'AJ' is not actually his name.  It is a screen name given to this sweet baby by the good folks of Reece's Rainbow to protect his true identity.  Jeff and I have the sweet pleasure of naming him his forever name.  I have a couple of baby books loaned to me by a dear friend that I am pouring over each night.  So many of the names are wonderful, yet, none have jumped out at me like I have been praying they would... not yet, anyway.

I want a name with great meaning.  I want a name that sounds good with the middle name of Scott...'cause we DO have his middle name picked out and Scott it is!  ALL our boys share Jeff's middle name of Scott.

So, baby AJ remains baby AJ for now.  Soon, sweet boy, you'll have a wonderful name.  I promise!

Great verses for families...

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons born in one youth. Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.
Psalm 127:2-5

Flurry of paperwork and a few definitions

Right now we are at the tail-end of a ton of paperwork....LOTS of paperwork. Once we get through all this paperwork and our medicals, we will be able to send our completed home study off to USCIS to be prayerfully approved, then we'll go get our FBI fingerprints and once those come back we'll be able to send in our dossier to EE. THEN, we wait for our court and travel date to EE...YEAH! Seems like I'm leaving out a kigillian steps in there but at least we can start to see the light at the end of this tunnel. We are beyond excited and ready to bring our little man home. He needs us and we need him!


For those wanting to know:


USCIS is:


United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a bureau of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It performs many administrative functions formerly carried out by the legacy United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which was part of the Department of Justice. The stated priorities of the USCIS are to promote national security, to eliminate immigration case backlogs, and to improve customer services. The Bureau is headed by a director who reports directly to the Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security. USCIS was formerly and briefly named the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), before becoming USCIS.


Dossier is:


(dôs e a)


1. A collection of papers, especially legal and/or other sources, containing detailed information about a particular person or subject, together with a synopsis of their content.




EE is:


Eastern Europe is the area our little man is from. We have been instructed not to say publicly exactly what country he is from until he is legally ours. So, for now, we put EE.

Father's Day 2010 ~ A day of firsts and lasts

Today is Father's Day!  Happy Father's Day to three very important men in my life:  my own daddy, my husband's daddy and my children's daddy, my sweet husband, Jeff!  This is the first Father's Day that Jeff is the dad to 7 children!  This is the last Father's Day that Jeff has to celebrate it without AJ!  Today I will call my daddy, tell him how much I love and admire him, I will love on him as much as I can over the phone.  He is a wonderful , beautiful person and I'm so thankful God chose him to be my father!  Jeff  has to go in to work today so we will celebrate with him later this evening.   We'll be thinking of little AJ on this Father's Day, hoping he somehow knows there is a large family in Texas full of life and love waiting to bring him home.  

Passports are in...

As of 6-14-10 we are the proud new owners of USA passports!  Now we can get busy on all the paperwork that requires passport numbers.  I wish, wish, wish there was a quicker way to make this adoption move along.  It really is maddening how long it takes to send in paperwork, get it back, send it in for apostilling, get it back, and send it to EE.  Maddening I say!  

POA's and CSP *SENT*...

So, maybe I'm a little cautious, just a little.  I took the envelope down to the FedEx place this afternoon filled with our precious POA's and CSP forms.  I did not seal the envelope before getting there because I wanted the FedEx person to help me finish filling out the packing slip and put everything in correctly.  The lady at the counter was so helpful as I fumbled to finished writing in the proper box's.  We debated on the spelling of Kiev.  Was it Kiev or Kyiv?  Turns out it is either...so we put both.  The envelope will get there with either spelling and will for sure get there with BOTH!


I paid the nice lady $114 to send the envelope the fastest way possible.  It will still take 6 days and that is waaaayyyyyy too slow in my book.  I might try UPS for the next set of documents and see if they can do this faster.  Every day we wait for things to ship is another day sweet AJ spends alone in his bed.  We cannot get there fast enough. 

I felt good that we got that done and I drove off set to go home.  Half way home, I remembered that I did not seal the envelope and turned around and headed back to the FedEx place.  I do not think the lady at the counter was too surprised to see me.  I must have looked like a new momma returning to check on her baby in the church nursery.  I told her what I had done and she smiled and assured me that SHE had sealed the envelope for me.  I was very thankful.  She even showed me the envelope.   We talked again about the spelling of Kiev and looked it up in the FedEx city handbook.  We then talked about these all-important documents and I told her about our adoption.  She said her sister has adopted three from Russia, with one more on the way.  Very neat!


I will be very glad when these documents make there way to Eastern Europe!  Wish it were ME! 

"He knows my name"

We sang this song in church tonight like we have so many times before.  Only this time I cried.  I cried because I heard it from the view point of AJ, as if he were singing it to God and to us.  I pray AJ feels he has a Father, both earthly and Heavenly, who knows his name, who will NEVER leave him, no matter where he goes.  I pray AJ can some how feel our love.

I have a maker
Before my heart,
before even time began
My life was in his hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought,
He sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

I have a father,
he calls me his own
He'll never leave me,
no matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
He hears me when I call

First set of apostilled documents are back...

We received our first set of apostilled documents in the mail today, back from the Secretary of State of Texas!!  Now on to Eastern Europe...Yeah!

Home Study, Part 1

Today we was the first of two home visits for our home study.  It went great!  Our social worker is such a sweet, sweet person and put us at ease from the very start!  The interview was literally like talking to an old friend ~ nothing hard about it!!  She visited with Jeff and I and then each of our children.  We did a walk through inside the house and outside. Jeff and I have quite a bit of paper work to work on between now and our second home visit but that is good because it will keep us busy and keep things moving along.   One step closer baby boy, one step closer.....

Things are starting to move

We applied for our passports yesterday.    We went during Jeff's lunch hour and were very short on time.  The postal worker was so sweet.  The line was *very* long and the postal worker saw that we had a document folder...and a baby...and asked us if we were there for passports.  We said 'yes we were' and he waived us to the FRONT of the line.  I am so thankful we did not have to wait.  The cost to apply for passports sure has gone up over the past 30 years since I last applied.  It was just under $200 each, well, we did expedite the process so that did add a little.   At least this process is done and Jeff was still able to grab a bite to eat and get back to work on time since the nice postal worker waived us through the line.  So thankful!


I was able to send in our first set of documents for apostille this morning.  The lady at the post office said the documents should arrive in Austin by noon tomorrow.  The cost for this...$69.15!   We should get these back in a couple of weeks and we can send them to Eastern Europe....cost for that, $200.  No body ever said rescuing an orphan  was cheap....but well worth every penny!

Two words...

Blue ink!  Use BLUE ink to fill out all of your dossier documents!  Or else you will have to do them all over again.  The reason for this is so originals can be distinguished more easily from copies.  Lesson learned!

Notorizing on a SATURDAY! Yeah!!

So, I called over to my wonderfully, fantasticly great next door neighbors to see if they by some chance would happen to know of a notary who would be open on a Saturday, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and guess what....MY NEIGHBOR IS A NOTARY!  I had no idea...but...GOD knew he was a notary and directed my steps.  I'm speechless.  I have 6 documents I need to send overseas this weekend and I will get to do that today instead of having to wait through the holiday weekend and into next week.  These are extremely important documents with one being so important that it actually 'holds' our little one for us until we can get to him!!!  I'm crying tears of joy.


Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

S-O, S-L-O-W

AJ, sweet AJ!  I think of him and want this process to go beyond lightning speed.  He needs his mommy.  He needs his daddy.  He needs his brothers and sisters to play with him, hold him, kiss him good night.  He needs to come home.  This process is agonizingly slow and I think of him, needing me.  It's hard.  I find rest knowing that God kisses his sweet cheeks each night, that God warms his little body as the nights grow cold, that God has this.  GOD HAS THIS!


It seems we are just spinning our wheels at times.  Everything is moving SO SLOW!  We need to get our Power of Attorney and CSP documents signed and notarized but it is Memorial Day weekend and everything is closed!  We need to get other dossier documents signed and notarized..... but we need our passport numbers to put on those documents.... but we do not have our passports yet..... because we need copies of our birth certificates....which I cannot get until next week because of the holiday. Grrrrrrrrr.


On the flip side, our state-side team is AWESOME!  I have emailed them with many questions and they have responded so fast and with great reassuring answeres.  Remember, these gals are all volunteers with families of their own.  God bless them!  They truly rock!!  Thank you team!!!

Home Study

We have the BEST social worker in the world.  She is such a trooper and is trying so incredibly hard to get just the right template for our home study.  God has truly blessed us with her!!  I am hopeful that we can get our home visit out of the way next week and start all the paper chasing so we can go get our little man.  Thank you Ashley for all you are doing to get our home study going and going right!

INTRODUCING: Our SON..

It is with great pleasure that we introduce our little Eastern European Prince, "AJ".

The top picture if the most current picture of "AJ" and the bottom is when he was 10 weeks old.  "AJ" is not the name he will come home with.  It is just his RR screen name until we pick his forever name.  "AJ" was born in 2008.  He is the most beautiful and perfect baby!  "AJ" has Down syndrome and a minor heart murmur.  Our family cannot wait to bring this little guy home so he can run around our place and enjoy all that life has to offer.  We will be working VERY hard to raise the needed travel funds so we can go get "AJ" as soon as all the necessary paperwork is completed.  If  you feel led to help bring our baby home, please visit our Family Sponsorship Page HERE.  All donations are tax deductible.


We are coming baby boy...

Sweet Chrissie rest in peace

One of our online RR/CHD friends has gone to be with Jesus!  Sweet Chrissie had a severe congenital heart defect and had it repaired just over one month ago.  She fought hard and touched many lives while in the PICU for 31 days.  She was born in Serbia and adopted through Reece's Rainbow by a loving, Godly family just 7 months ago.  Chrissie got to know the unconditional love of a forever family.  Today, she plays at the feet of Jesus!

Sleep tight my precious wee-one

It is 2:40pm my time and 10:40pm your time.   I pray someone fed you a warm bottle and bathed you before bed.  I pray someone kissed your sweet face good night.   I pray you drifted off to sleep feeling safe in a comfy bed.  I pray you feel your mommy's love from around the world.  Good night darling boy of mine.

Horseback riding for orphans

Rescuing an orphan is incredibly expensive.  For my part, I am once again offering horseback riding lessons to local homeschoolers.  All the proceeds will go to our adoption of our EE wee-one.  So far we have had a great response with over 15 kiddo's taking weekly lessons and about as many interested but not yet on the schedule.   We are so blessed to have the opportunity and resources to offer these lessons to the kids and kids-at-heart.

Good morning my little prince

It's 12:15am my time and 8:15 in EE.  I pray they fed you a warm breakfast this morning.  I pray they changed your diaper and gave you fresh bedding.  I pray you can see the sunshine outside, breathe in fresh air and feel my love from around the world!  You are in my thoughts all day, every day.


Good morning my little one...

My heart sank...

...today when I went to RR, as I do every day, to look at our  precious EE baby and he WAS NOT THERE...anywhere!!  I then went to the RR Yahoo group to see what was going on and found that someone had posted that our little man was on the "My Family Found Me" page.  Again, my heart SANK!  Did we not get our commitment papers in on time and another family found him first??  I'm still shaking.  I'm hoping that Andrea has been working on the website and has yet to email me about moving his picture over to the new page.  I did find him on the "Found" page as well but our names are not there beside him.  Hopefully, we will have our FSP up very soon and all will be okay.


Ultimately, if we did not get our paperwork in first and our precious little one goes to another family, hard as it would be for us, at least he is getting out of the orphanage.  Bottom line is to get these guys into loving homes and out of there.   I'm praying he is ours and I'll be able to SHOUT out his name and declare him as one of my own!


God knows!  He has this!   I'll just rest in that!

TODAY...

was slow...again! 


Technically, I should have titled this "Yesterday" because it is way after midnight but I doubt the correct-day police will read this anyway! 


Anywho, we still have one more commitment document to fax in but our fax machine BROKE!  So, off to Kinko's to fax it in tomorrow.  After this last document we are done with all the commitment stuff!!!  I cannot wait to get the official go-ahead to tell the world which little EE angel we are adopting!!


I am trying to be more organized with our paperwork and planning.  I bought a 3-ring binder and some pocket dividers and will be able to keep everything in one place and write down what we need to be doing each day.  Hopefully, this will help keep us on tract.  Sometimes I feel so lost in this process that I do no know what to do next.  I'm thinking things will pick up after Andrea gets all my commitment documents, makes our FSP and we receive the downloadable information packet.


Well, off to bed again.  It's late here...1:45am and 9:45am there.  I hope our little is able to eat a warm breakfast today and is not hungry.  Throwing my love through the wind to you little one...

SW preliminary contact form ~APPROVED~

Today our social worker approved our adoption on the preliminary contact form and faxed it in!  Yeah!!  We filled out the Family disclosure form,  got it notarized and will fax it in tomorrow.  We will mail our 'other form', cannot remember the name off hand, in along with our initial fees tomorrow as per Andrea's instructions.  Once Andrea receives all these documents, we will officially be committed to our little man! 


I am going to have to figure out a better, faster way to do all this paperwork because at this rate our little man will be 42 before we get to bring him home.  But, for tonight I am done.  It's late and I'm off to bed. 

Application for Adoption Grant Eligibility and Family Sponsorship Program ~SENT~

Today we sent in our Adoption Grant Eligibility and Family Sponsorship Program document via email to Andrea at Reece's Rainbow.  Well, actually it was technically yesterday since it was sent just before midnight!  Anyway, that was our very first document of MANY towards getting our little man home.  We cannot disclose exactly who we are adopting until we get a few more documents sent in and the initial fees paid. BUT, I can say he is a precious, baby boy from Eastern Europe who deserves a loving home with lots of fresh air to breathe, green grass to run barefoot through and a family who loves him unconditionally!


Tomorrow we will work on the Adoptive Family Disclosure form and take it to be notarized.   Hopefully, our social worker will get her Preliminary Contact form faxed in soon and we will OFFICIALLY be committed to our little man.  Then we can tell the world who he is!  I can't wait!!!