Sunday, June 10, 2012
Oh, what a day!
Today has been a looooooooooong day. Sundays usually are long for us, since both Greg and I serve in our church in our tech team, and we are usually there for all three services and rehearsal before the first service. We are usually up around 6:15, get to church by 7:20, leave by 2, home around 2:30, (If we don't have to stop for groceries, lunch, or gas,) then we leave for small group between 4:45-5, depending on who is hosting it, and get back home between 8:30 and 9:15. And I wouldn't change a single second of it. It is time spent with Godly people, in God's house, and doing God's work. I am blessed to be able to be part of our church and the work it is doing in our community. Today should have gone pretty much according to schedule, except that immediately after church, our small group was hosting a bridal shower, for which I was responsible for making the cake. We do this occasionally, and do it in place of our regular small group evening meetings. Next weekend I thought was a baby shower for a good friend of mine, that was going to be hosted here, at our home on Sunday at 3. I was responsible for making mini margarita cheesecake bites, punch, and the cake. WELL, as crazy a week as this has been can you see where I'm going with this? Yep. You are correct. The baby shower was actually TODAY at my house. I found this out just before 9 this morning. In full panic mode, I threw the fresh flowers into the 2 tiered, "wedding" style bridal shower cake, grabbed my stuff and ran out the back door! I came home to a messy house, messier kitchen, and table COVERED up with all my sewing and quilting projects. Thank goodness my Mom was able to come down and help me tidy up while I rushed around throwing cake into the oven, making icing, punch, and mini margarita bites! Oh, I also had to wrap the gift! I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the bridal shower cake, but if I can get my hands on one, I'll try to upload it this week. Here is a picture of the baby shower one. There were also 2 dozen mini cupcakes to go with it.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Mustard seeds...
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if
you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,
'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible
for you." Matt 17:20 NIV
Tonight I was moved to tears...well, more like wreaking sobs, as I am in a heightened state of emotions over our own adoption turmoil, over the story of a family who felt a call to adopt a child who was 13 from China. The catch was that she would "age out" of the system on her 14th birthday, and that was just 3 months away. A normal adoption from China takes anywhere from 1-6 years, and God did it for them in just 3 months! If that is not Matthew 17:20 in action I just don't know what is.
I never cease to be amazed at God's answers to my prayers. Just over 24 hours ago, I felt so helpless, and angry at the whole process. I prayed for God to relieve that stress and to fill my mind with happy ideas, memories, and stories, instead of me focusing on the delays, the desperation, the desire I was feeling. He began by reminding me of what I had to be grateful for, and today He has opened up new avenues for me to find the joy in our adoption process, and spoken to me through friends, new and old, encouraging me, and pushing me to stand straight and continue to have faith in His timing. So tonight I will pray and meditate on this scripture, and I know that my problems are so insignificant to God, and He will move them all in His time, for my faith is in Him and Him alone!
Here are just a few things that He has opened my eyes to today. I pray that you find as much joy and hope in them as I have.
Journey to Eliana This is a video story of the family I mentioned who was able to adopt their daughter in just 3 months. It is an absolute testament to God's power.
Henan Kids (This is the province our daughter is from, and CCAI is the agency we are using to adopt her.) This is about the many fundraisers and projects that they provide for the orphanages in the Henan province. It is filled with pictures of kids who have already been adopted, and is so uplifting!
Tonight I was moved to tears...well, more like wreaking sobs, as I am in a heightened state of emotions over our own adoption turmoil, over the story of a family who felt a call to adopt a child who was 13 from China. The catch was that she would "age out" of the system on her 14th birthday, and that was just 3 months away. A normal adoption from China takes anywhere from 1-6 years, and God did it for them in just 3 months! If that is not Matthew 17:20 in action I just don't know what is.
I never cease to be amazed at God's answers to my prayers. Just over 24 hours ago, I felt so helpless, and angry at the whole process. I prayed for God to relieve that stress and to fill my mind with happy ideas, memories, and stories, instead of me focusing on the delays, the desperation, the desire I was feeling. He began by reminding me of what I had to be grateful for, and today He has opened up new avenues for me to find the joy in our adoption process, and spoken to me through friends, new and old, encouraging me, and pushing me to stand straight and continue to have faith in His timing. So tonight I will pray and meditate on this scripture, and I know that my problems are so insignificant to God, and He will move them all in His time, for my faith is in Him and Him alone!
Here are just a few things that He has opened my eyes to today. I pray that you find as much joy and hope in them as I have.
Journey to Eliana This is a video story of the family I mentioned who was able to adopt their daughter in just 3 months. It is an absolute testament to God's power.
Henan Kids (This is the province our daughter is from, and CCAI is the agency we are using to adopt her.) This is about the many fundraisers and projects that they provide for the orphanages in the Henan province. It is filled with pictures of kids who have already been adopted, and is so uplifting!
Friday, June 8, 2012
God's timing...
I was fully expecting to update our blog today saying that we had been issued our Article 5, and we're just waiting for our travel approval from China in order to go and get our daughter. BUT, instead I've spent the several hours calling our agency, the National Benefits center, the National Visa center, USCIS (Homeland Security,) back to the NBC, who is currently, supposedly, calling the NVC again on our behalf. Apparently two imperative pieces of our paperwork did not make it to China. One made it, but was so garbled and blurry it could not be read, the other just plain is not in the file. Without them our article 5 will not be issued. The article 5 is the piece of paperwork that will allow us to adopt Annabella, so without it there is no trip, and no adoption. Now I'm not a doomsday person, I do believe that we will get our Article 5, but it is so hard to see that two weeks have passed now and we thought each day that we would get it, just to find out today that there was never any hope. Each agency says the other agency is responsible, when I honestly don't care. I just want ONE of them to resend these TWO little pieces of paper via email. Sounds easy right?!? Nothing comes easy in adoption paperwork, nothing.
In addition to all of our paperwork issues, we have had very lackluster results from our fundraising, and financially we are struggling so much that I honestly don't know where we will find the money until the next paycheck for the groceries we need. Being able to eat with my parents has helped, and the boys being away for a few days at camp has helped, but we are running on empty around here on things the kids will eat. And being determined not to put ourselves into further debt by using our credit cards, we will continue to push on, asking God to continue providing for us, as He has been faithful in doing thus far.
Since all this "bad" has been getting me down today, I prayed for God to give me some "good" to support me while I wait for His perfect timing. He never fails to deliver and he sent me thoughts of what all I have to be grateful for. I thought I'd share a bit of this grateful with you!
#1. I am grateful for my friend Carrie. She was the very first person to order a t-shirt from our fundraiser, has posted the link several times on her Facebook wall, and has prayed for and encouraged us countless time throughout this entire process. here is a copy of her Facebook profile picture.
#2. I am grateful for the people who have never even met us, but have purchased shirts to help us out, and those who have shared our links with others and encouraged them to help our cause. Facebook friend Cathy Robinson (who was the second person to purchase a shirt from us,) and fellow NSC member Krystal Riner are just two examples of these people.
#3. I am grateful for being assigned what we've been told is the best caseworker in the USCIS, Gretchen Downey. She has assisted us so tremendously in straightening out several paperwork snafus, and I'm having faith that she will be the person who will be the voice for us in the current issue as well, that will get this one done!
#4. I am grateful for my lifelong best friend, Katie Bouchillon, who listens to me ramble, scream, and cry, every time we have a problem, and rejoices with me every time we advance in our adoption journey, and who has done the same my entire life. Few people are blessed with what we have in friendship.
#5. I am thankful for my friends Amy Tackett and Roxi Phillips who have given us encouragement in ways I don't think that they even realize has meant the world to us.
#6. I am grateful for the myriad of adoptive families who have offer us advice, and support. Without them I believe we would be like a {blind man riding a bike through the New York traffic during rush hour in a rain storm} in terms of trying to navigate all of the aspects of International adoption! They have been a rock of support, and a wealth of knowledge. Those families we've met who are attempting their first adoption as we are, have been such a blessing to us, in allowing us to share blogs, ideas, and stories, and I hope we've blessed them as much as they've blessed us through this journey.
There are so many other people who have blessed us, and offered support, and encouragement. So many people who really seem to "get" what we are going through. This adoption was not a choice WE made, but one GOD made for us. Trust me, we were a happy family with three kids, and had no plans to have any more, but He had another thing in store for us! This journey is one He set us on, and we have done nothing but followed His commands with faith. There are days I am absolutely terrified of bringing a toddler into our family, days I wonder how a girl will fit in with all these boys. There are days I walk by the toddler toys in the yard we have either been gifted or have gotten second hand for her, and been reduced to tears because they sit, unplayed with. There was even a night I sat in her closet looking at her clothes and diapers and cried myself literally to sleep on the rug in her room, longing for her to be in my arms. But God has reassured me every time, He has sent people into our lives who have supported us, He has given us the strength of an ox to get through the tough times. In this, I will continue to have faith in Him and His timing and I will continue to patiently wait for everything to come together as only He can make it.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 NIV
***I actually wrote this earlier today, though I added this scripture tonight. Apparently the post didn't go through but I decided to just re post it "as is" tonight with this little update. We later spoke with our USCIS officer, who told us she had personally forwarded the missing and garbled documents to the consulate in China. Hopefully we will be able to get our Article 5 next week. We will be in prayer about what to do next if this doesn't solve our paperwork dilemma, and ask that you will join us in praying for the delivery of all our documents to the Chinese embassy, and a speedy processing of our Article 5 and TA paperwork. Thank you and God bless each of you for your love and support, we see God's hands working through each of you!
In addition to all of our paperwork issues, we have had very lackluster results from our fundraising, and financially we are struggling so much that I honestly don't know where we will find the money until the next paycheck for the groceries we need. Being able to eat with my parents has helped, and the boys being away for a few days at camp has helped, but we are running on empty around here on things the kids will eat. And being determined not to put ourselves into further debt by using our credit cards, we will continue to push on, asking God to continue providing for us, as He has been faithful in doing thus far.
Since all this "bad" has been getting me down today, I prayed for God to give me some "good" to support me while I wait for His perfect timing. He never fails to deliver and he sent me thoughts of what all I have to be grateful for. I thought I'd share a bit of this grateful with you!
#1. I am grateful for my friend Carrie. She was the very first person to order a t-shirt from our fundraiser, has posted the link several times on her Facebook wall, and has prayed for and encouraged us countless time throughout this entire process. here is a copy of her Facebook profile picture.
 |
| How awesome of an advertisement is that?!? |
#2. I am grateful for the people who have never even met us, but have purchased shirts to help us out, and those who have shared our links with others and encouraged them to help our cause. Facebook friend Cathy Robinson (who was the second person to purchase a shirt from us,) and fellow NSC member Krystal Riner are just two examples of these people.
#3. I am grateful for being assigned what we've been told is the best caseworker in the USCIS, Gretchen Downey. She has assisted us so tremendously in straightening out several paperwork snafus, and I'm having faith that she will be the person who will be the voice for us in the current issue as well, that will get this one done!
#4. I am grateful for my lifelong best friend, Katie Bouchillon, who listens to me ramble, scream, and cry, every time we have a problem, and rejoices with me every time we advance in our adoption journey, and who has done the same my entire life. Few people are blessed with what we have in friendship.
#5. I am thankful for my friends Amy Tackett and Roxi Phillips who have given us encouragement in ways I don't think that they even realize has meant the world to us.
#6. I am grateful for the myriad of adoptive families who have offer us advice, and support. Without them I believe we would be like a {blind man riding a bike through the New York traffic during rush hour in a rain storm} in terms of trying to navigate all of the aspects of International adoption! They have been a rock of support, and a wealth of knowledge. Those families we've met who are attempting their first adoption as we are, have been such a blessing to us, in allowing us to share blogs, ideas, and stories, and I hope we've blessed them as much as they've blessed us through this journey.
There are so many other people who have blessed us, and offered support, and encouragement. So many people who really seem to "get" what we are going through. This adoption was not a choice WE made, but one GOD made for us. Trust me, we were a happy family with three kids, and had no plans to have any more, but He had another thing in store for us! This journey is one He set us on, and we have done nothing but followed His commands with faith. There are days I am absolutely terrified of bringing a toddler into our family, days I wonder how a girl will fit in with all these boys. There are days I walk by the toddler toys in the yard we have either been gifted or have gotten second hand for her, and been reduced to tears because they sit, unplayed with. There was even a night I sat in her closet looking at her clothes and diapers and cried myself literally to sleep on the rug in her room, longing for her to be in my arms. But God has reassured me every time, He has sent people into our lives who have supported us, He has given us the strength of an ox to get through the tough times. In this, I will continue to have faith in Him and His timing and I will continue to patiently wait for everything to come together as only He can make it.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 NIV
***I actually wrote this earlier today, though I added this scripture tonight. Apparently the post didn't go through but I decided to just re post it "as is" tonight with this little update. We later spoke with our USCIS officer, who told us she had personally forwarded the missing and garbled documents to the consulate in China. Hopefully we will be able to get our Article 5 next week. We will be in prayer about what to do next if this doesn't solve our paperwork dilemma, and ask that you will join us in praying for the delivery of all our documents to the Chinese embassy, and a speedy processing of our Article 5 and TA paperwork. Thank you and God bless each of you for your love and support, we see God's hands working through each of you!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Home again, home again...
Sunday all three boys left for Lake Forest Ranch with our church for camp.
Our church took one of the largest groups for the session. It took two 15 passenger vans, one mini van, and a trailer to carry everyone and everything! Just as they began loading up, it began to storm. They fortunately got out of the storm quickly, and the kids didn't see more than a sprinkle of rain the whole time they were at camp. This afternoon they got home around 4:30. I know they have had a lot of fun, but MAN OH MAN is Nathan tired! He's not the only one, here's what we saw when they were unloading the twin's van.
Apparently Alex was in this position the entire way home! One thing I love is that when they come home, we get a photo CD with tons of camp pictures. Here are some of the boys having a blast.
They learned so much, and had so many stories to tell! They really enjoyed the night that Keith Coast entertained them. He did several magic tricks, and the boys thought he was super funny! Their absolute favorite was when he blew up a GIANT BALLOON with a LEAF BLOWER, then GOT INSIDE...and did THE CHICKEN DANCE! If you want a good laugh, you can see this YouTube video of his routine. We have been so incredibly blessed to be able to send Nathan the past two years, and to be able to send all of them this year. The twins were able to be part of the "Sunshine Club" since they were some of the youngest group of campers, and they were able to get a bit more one on one time with their counselors. I think they are already looking forward to next year! Here are a few more group shots of our church group, and the boy's cabin mates.
 |
| Our church fed the kids whose parents served and attended services that day. The kids all got pizza and ice cream...YUM! |
 |
| Getting some Grandmommy love before heading out |
 |
| So excited! |
 |
| Heading out! |
Our church took one of the largest groups for the session. It took two 15 passenger vans, one mini van, and a trailer to carry everyone and everything! Just as they began loading up, it began to storm. They fortunately got out of the storm quickly, and the kids didn't see more than a sprinkle of rain the whole time they were at camp. This afternoon they got home around 4:30. I know they have had a lot of fun, but MAN OH MAN is Nathan tired! He's not the only one, here's what we saw when they were unloading the twin's van.
 |
| Andy and the "giant swing" |
 |
| Alex running after the ball |
 |
| Alex playing kick ball |
 |
| Nathan tubing, Going... |
 |
| Going... |
 |
| Gone! |
 | |||
| Enjoying a frosted sugar cookie they got to make |
 |
| Nathan (Front left) |
 |
| Alex (Peeping out on the right side) |
 |
| Andy (Front left, red shirt) |
 |
| NorthStar Church Group Picture, we took 28 kids! |
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Sugar and spice and everything nice...
I know I promised an update with pictures a couple of days ago, but Sunday the boys left for church camp headed to Lake Forest Ranch, and for the past several days have been having problems with our Internet connection, and problems with getting the pictures to send via email. I can't thank Moya enough for persevering through the difficulties and taking the time to continue trying to email the pictures of our sweet Annabella until we got them all! Saturday I was blessed enough to have an opportunity to speak with Moya, a social worker in CO who, along with her 9 year old daughter, had recently visited Annabella's orphanage, and had interacted with Annabella in the Lily Orphan are Center, (LOCC.)
For those of you who have not heard the details of our adoption, let me explain the significance of the LOCC. Our adoption agency, CCAI, (Chinese Children Adoption International,) has helped to set up special rooms in the most impoverished orphanages in China called LOCC. These rooms are staffed with caretakers called "nannies" who have had training on taking care of children with special needs. These nannies, care for the children who have the most severe special needs, and many of these are cleft lip cleft palate kids. CL/CP kids require special feeding and often are under nourished because in a normal orphanage setting there just isn't the personal level of care that is required to help these kids to eat. These rooms provide an atmosphere that is more like a daycare than an orphanage There are bright colors painted on the wall, toys of all types, including ones that light up and make music, and toys that help with motor skill development like puzzles, stacking rings, and blocks. This might sound simple, but the normal orphan in China, does not see a toy, especially one that uses any type of batteries. Toys that light up and make sound, and even a simple stuffed animal will scare children who have never seen such things. A typical orphan stays in their crib all day, only to be taken out, if they are lucky, to be placed into a highchair or walker, (that doesn't move,) to be fed.
This blog post will tear you to pieces, it is a REAL look into international orphans and their plight. Be warned, it is raw, real, true, uncut, and hard to read without being affected.
Annabella has had a completely different beginning than a typical orphan from China because of the LOCC. She has grown up only spending bed and nap time in her crib. She has had music played for her, and sung to her. She has had access to all types of toys, and has been able to learn how to interact with other children and manipulate toys, and gained social skills through these interactions. Because of the life she has had, we can expect her not to be as behind socially, emotionally, physically, and developmentally as the typical orphan. These kids usually have formed bonds with their nannies, and other children in their room, and as such, have an easier time forming bonds with adoptive families. They have experienced feeding themselves, playing with toys of all sizes, and have been able to develop both gross and fine motor skills. They have interacted with the children and nannies and have learned how to behave socially. We are so blessed and know that the hand of God was all over choosing Annabella for us! We have had our share of experience with special needs, having twins born two months premature, but we had been told to prepare for the worst possible scenario in adopting. We had been told we could receive a child that was delayed 4-6 months for every year they spent in an orphanage. That babies at one year old may not even be able to roll over, much less sit up, or hold their heads up. The mere thought of climbing that mountain was so incredibly daunting for us, and we questioned how we would be able to handle such obstacles, and still find time for our three other children, and for each other. God knew just what He was doing though when he matched us up with our daughter. We will still have some delays and things we will have to work on, but on the whole, our daughter is in the BEST possible environment, and has such a head start!
Moya was visiting the LOCC because of a similar program she is involved with that also sets up special care rooms within orphanages and staffs them with knowledgeable people who provide a better standard of care. She shared with me the story of the time she and her daughter spent in the LOCC, and how Annabella had stood out to them. When they went in, the children were seated on stools along one wall. It was their music time and the nanny was "directing" them with hand motions through each song. Annabella was the only one who was mimicking the hand motions that her nanny was making! Moya's daughter had originally attempted to sit along the wall closer to the children, but many were upset by this close "stranger" so she had moved across the room to sit. She crossed her legs as she sat, and soon noticed that Annabella had also crossed her legs. She then crossed them the opposite direction and Annabella quickly followed suit, so she began to stomp her feet, and Annabella did too! After a while, Annabella got up from her stool and went and had a conversation with her nanny. After the conversation, she slowly began to inch closer to Moya's daughter and eventually sat close to her. Every couple of minutes she would jump up and run back to her stool, and then slowly creep back over to Moya's daughter. During the hour they spent in the LOCC, Annabella was the only child who got up from her stool, the only one who interacted on such a level with them, and the only one who was mimicking things around her! Can you imagine how wonderful this story will be to share with her as she grows older? What a gift to have had the opportunity to talk with Moya, and to have this piece of history to share with our daughter! Here are some of the pictures she was able to share with us.
For those of you who have not heard the details of our adoption, let me explain the significance of the LOCC. Our adoption agency, CCAI, (Chinese Children Adoption International,) has helped to set up special rooms in the most impoverished orphanages in China called LOCC. These rooms are staffed with caretakers called "nannies" who have had training on taking care of children with special needs. These nannies, care for the children who have the most severe special needs, and many of these are cleft lip cleft palate kids. CL/CP kids require special feeding and often are under nourished because in a normal orphanage setting there just isn't the personal level of care that is required to help these kids to eat. These rooms provide an atmosphere that is more like a daycare than an orphanage There are bright colors painted on the wall, toys of all types, including ones that light up and make music, and toys that help with motor skill development like puzzles, stacking rings, and blocks. This might sound simple, but the normal orphan in China, does not see a toy, especially one that uses any type of batteries. Toys that light up and make sound, and even a simple stuffed animal will scare children who have never seen such things. A typical orphan stays in their crib all day, only to be taken out, if they are lucky, to be placed into a highchair or walker, (that doesn't move,) to be fed.
This blog post will tear you to pieces, it is a REAL look into international orphans and their plight. Be warned, it is raw, real, true, uncut, and hard to read without being affected.
Annabella has had a completely different beginning than a typical orphan from China because of the LOCC. She has grown up only spending bed and nap time in her crib. She has had music played for her, and sung to her. She has had access to all types of toys, and has been able to learn how to interact with other children and manipulate toys, and gained social skills through these interactions. Because of the life she has had, we can expect her not to be as behind socially, emotionally, physically, and developmentally as the typical orphan. These kids usually have formed bonds with their nannies, and other children in their room, and as such, have an easier time forming bonds with adoptive families. They have experienced feeding themselves, playing with toys of all sizes, and have been able to develop both gross and fine motor skills. They have interacted with the children and nannies and have learned how to behave socially. We are so blessed and know that the hand of God was all over choosing Annabella for us! We have had our share of experience with special needs, having twins born two months premature, but we had been told to prepare for the worst possible scenario in adopting. We had been told we could receive a child that was delayed 4-6 months for every year they spent in an orphanage. That babies at one year old may not even be able to roll over, much less sit up, or hold their heads up. The mere thought of climbing that mountain was so incredibly daunting for us, and we questioned how we would be able to handle such obstacles, and still find time for our three other children, and for each other. God knew just what He was doing though when he matched us up with our daughter. We will still have some delays and things we will have to work on, but on the whole, our daughter is in the BEST possible environment, and has such a head start!
Moya was visiting the LOCC because of a similar program she is involved with that also sets up special care rooms within orphanages and staffs them with knowledgeable people who provide a better standard of care. She shared with me the story of the time she and her daughter spent in the LOCC, and how Annabella had stood out to them. When they went in, the children were seated on stools along one wall. It was their music time and the nanny was "directing" them with hand motions through each song. Annabella was the only one who was mimicking the hand motions that her nanny was making! Moya's daughter had originally attempted to sit along the wall closer to the children, but many were upset by this close "stranger" so she had moved across the room to sit. She crossed her legs as she sat, and soon noticed that Annabella had also crossed her legs. She then crossed them the opposite direction and Annabella quickly followed suit, so she began to stomp her feet, and Annabella did too! After a while, Annabella got up from her stool and went and had a conversation with her nanny. After the conversation, she slowly began to inch closer to Moya's daughter and eventually sat close to her. Every couple of minutes she would jump up and run back to her stool, and then slowly creep back over to Moya's daughter. During the hour they spent in the LOCC, Annabella was the only child who got up from her stool, the only one who interacted on such a level with them, and the only one who was mimicking things around her! Can you imagine how wonderful this story will be to share with her as she grows older? What a gift to have had the opportunity to talk with Moya, and to have this piece of history to share with our daughter! Here are some of the pictures she was able to share with us.
 |
| Our beautiful baby girl |
 |
| Clean up time! (And look at the cutie sitting next to Annabella's stack of stools!) |
 |
| We've been told she is always helping out and "mothering" the other kids in her room |
 |
| Hand motions to the songs |
 |
| More motions, notice the other two kids seem so unaffected? |
 |
| Playing with Moya's daughter |
 |
| My sweet Annabella |
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Fun in the sun
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 ESV
Since yesterday and the day before I was inundated with phone calls, emails and paper chasing, other than squeezing in a couple games of Bingo I really didn't get to spend much time with the boys. So yesterday afternoon when things died down, we decided to head to Fulton to the park. We took a small cooler with sandwiches and some drinks, and stayed for about 4 hours. They had a BLAST! Here are a few of the pictures we took.
 |
| Alex on the rockwall |
 |
| Andy on the spinner |
 |
| Nathan climbing the wall |
 |
| Nathan, Daniel (who might as well be our child, since he stays almost every weekend during school and 5-6 days a week during the summer with us,) and Alex perched above the ropes course |
 |
| Andy in the water fountain |
 |
| Nathan in the water fountain |
 |
| Andy peeking through a castle window |
 |
| Andy climbing the pole |
 |
| Daniel and Nathan sitting on the backside of one of the slides |
 |
| Alex driving the car from the other side |
 | ||
| Andy, Alex, Nathan, and Daniel sitting in the center of the fountain |
Today I was able to speak with Moya, a social worker who actually visited Annabella's orphanage in March. She told me that she had so hoped to be able to talk with our daughter's adoptive family as our baby had really made a big impression on them during their visit. Tomorrow she will be sending me a file filled with pictures she took of Annabella on her trip, so stay tuned and I will share those with you along with the story she told us about our little "spitfire!"
Friday, June 1, 2012
Isn't it amazing...
"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7 NIV
The past two days have been a blur! Yesterday we woke up to two completely unrelated problems with paperwork for our adoption, both of which could cause us delays, or the total inability to travel to get Annabella. You talk about a heap load of stress...well, not really. One thing that God has done for me throughout this adoption is to take away the burden of stress. Those who know me well know that I do not handle stress or change well. I panic first, and ask questions later. During the course of this adoption, there have been numerous times that things have changed, or that things have been messed up, and normally any one of these would send me into a complete panic. But God knew this about me, and He knew that in accepting that this was His will for us, I would need some help in this area. And so I prayed. I prayed for Him to wrap His arms around me and to take all the fear, worry, and stress, and to give me strength, patience, and peace. And He has done just that from day one. Have there been times when I have been extra nervous? Sure! But I also have had an internal sense of peace even then, that it was all going to be ok, and would all work out in God's time. So back to the past few days. The first issue we were told of was that two critical pieces of paperwork were missing from out file in China, and that our Article 5 could not be issued without them. After 2 days of going round and round with two different government offices, the NVC (National Visa Center,) and the NBC, (National Benefits Center,) I HOPE we have gotten things back on track. I believe the files were corrupted in transit electronically and thus needed to be re-scanned and resent. We've been told that this will be done today, and that the Chinese consulate should get those tomorrow. The only issue now, is that they won't accept new files until Tuesday, so it will be at least Tuesday before we know if they came through correctly this time, and before we have any hope of our article 5 being issued. The second issue we found out about was our Visa's. Week before last we sent our passports and Visa applications off to our courier service in D.C. There were some problems with the paperwork and we had to redo it and send it back last week. SO yesterday they called us to say that they had finally received all the corrected paperwork and had taken everything to the Consulate General at the Chinese Embassy to get our Visa stamps. Well, he decided to deny them based on where we live, and said we will need to send them through the Consulate general's office in Houston or Chicago closer to where we live. Sooooooo, now all of our paperwork is being FedEx'ed to Chicago, to a new courier, that hopefully can get our visas so we can travel to China. This however entails a new courier fee, AND a new FedEx fee that we were not anticipating. We most likely will not hear back on this until next week either, though it also looks like we will be able to get it taken care of. So with all of that going on, it has been not only a hectic couple of days, but also a discouraging couple of days. In that, God knew a little "pick me up" was in order, so He connected us with another adoptive family through a VERY round about way, that also adopted their daughter recently from the same orphanage and room as our Annabella. Not only that, but this family was in touch with someone who had MANY pictures of our daughter, and she was able to forward us several of them. Hopefully we will be able to get even more in the coming days, but just these few we will cherish, as pictures of our daughter are so few and far between! You can see pictures of their beautiful family who include two biological children and two adopted children, on their blog here. Just reading some of the posts from their trip and return have brought so much joy to me. This is a family that is filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, and only God could have placed them in my life on the exact day I needed that boost most! So without further adieu here are some of the new pictures! It won't be much longer my sweet baby girl, Mama and Daddy will be with you soon, my precious Annabella!
 |
| Annabella is in the yellow pants, the little girl in the center, is the daughter of the family who shared these photos with us. |
 |
| Snacking |
 |
| Precious smiles |
 |
| Annabella is sitting on the green stool in the center of the picture |
 |
| Annabella is in front of the "column" with the pink bib |
 |
| Annabella is snacking :) |
 |
| Annabella with cute giggles! And how cute are the bows on the other little girl in this picture?!? |
 |
| All smiles from Annabella! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)