THE KIDS AND I AT THE BEACH HOUSE THIS SUMMER

Homestudy update complete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PIC OF ME AND MY SISTER aSHLEIGH AT OUR BEACH HOUSE THIS SUMMER :)

Prayers to all of the Texas people who were affected by IKE!!!

So excited, my caseworker has finished my homestudy. So, my application has been sent to Hope, and I have finished my dossier documents. I am now formally on my way to get my docs authenicated (which is easy in Mississippi b/c you don't need to send the docs in, you just send the name of the notary). Then off to the Assistant Stork. I finally feel like it may actually happen and feel a little closer to my daughter.

I am so enjoying ready my agencies discussion group and looking at all of those beautiful pictures of the children. Amazing!!

Now, time to pick a stroller and a car seat. All the really fun stuff.

I have decided I am going to do a donation drive at work and at the kid's school so we will have tons of stuff to take to ET!!!!!!!!! I am so excited about doing that!!!!

Anybody have an advice for a 13 year old son who is saying he doesn't want to go, when I really want him to go?????????

Girl, you know it...

YOU KNOW YOU ARE AN ADOPTIVE PARENT WHEN:
1.The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.4. The fact that, if 7% of the population adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convincing to you.5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about your adopted child's "real" parents.7. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.8. You have never taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.9. You believe God's heart is for adoption.10. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.11. You know what the word "Dossier" means, and you can actually pronounce it!12. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.13. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.-Author Unknown

Sadness and new hope!!!

Ok, so here I am posting after all of this time. I have made some tough decisions, after months of just feeling really unsettled about my adoption in Kazakhstan. I have decided to terminate the adoption process in Kaz. It is so hard....after all the hours I have spent. I am very disappointed and sad. I just do not have a good feeling about it any longer. I am scared about the time I could possibly have to spend away from work and am terrified of the cost of Kazakhstan adoptions and travel right now. It just seems to be getting more and more uncertain and expensive. I do not want to get near the end and have a blip that could cause me to not be able to finish. This has been weighing heavily on my heart.
There is also different news to report. I have decided to follow my heart and apply to Ethiopia. I have always felt called to adopt. I feel that the greatest need is in Ethiopia. I just swell with energy and love for the nation and their terrible struggles. There are between 4-5 milliion orphans in this country and this is just a staggering number.
Many people I speak with do not understand why I want to adopt. This is simple. I have thought about doing this since 3rd grade. I want more children. There are children without clothes, food, family......and I have the space :) Pretty simple.
It's a big commitment...and sure I am terrified in some ways, but my heart leads, and with prayer....I must follow. Travel, money, and freedom don't mean a thing if you have not followed your heart.

redo, redo

Well, I finished my dossier back in early November, but my home study license for my dossier was set to expire Dec. 31st, so......i had to wait all of this time for it. I got it this week! But, the date on the form letter didn't match the notary date, so it had to be redone. I decided to redo most of of my documents because the dates were getting older due to this delay. I am needless to say, ready for this dossier to be sent to translation. I sent the new docs to my coordinator today and hope they will go to translation soon!!!! I hope and pray everything is in order. I have had to redo things so many times, sometimes it feels you just can't win for losing. I will not give up though!!!!
I will post when I know I am in translation. That is so exciting to me because it means my dos are definitely on their way!!!!! I am ready to move forward.
My sweet sister gave me tons of clothes from her little girl! They are all precious boutique clothes and I am just over the moon about it!!!! I will post some pics of them later.

Deep thoughts.....

My Pekingnese is saying, " No mom, don't wear those boots...I don't care if it is Chistmas.....you live in Mississippi and it it not even cold". I am saying, "But Chewey, you have your coat on .....and look...we match."

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family! It is late on Christmas Eve and I should be fast asleep hoping Santa will fill my stocking because I have been such a good girl. However, I have no problem staying up until 3 am reading blogs and following the families throught their amazing journeys. I like the night and would make a fantastic vamire, apparently.

I had a very good day shopping with the kids and bought baby bedding today that is just adorable! I bought Parker a luggage set today and he was so very proud of this!

As for the process, I am currently waiting for my home study license to be renewed and should have this documents in the next several weeks. I have redone 15 other documents as they were getting a little too old and I want them all to be fresh before heading to the big time! Andrea assures me everything else looks good! My dossier is otherwise ready and will hopeful go to translation the first or second week in January. I hope to breathe a little sigh of relief when that happens! I have sent it to Andrea already, so the only things she needs now are my updated documents!!!!!!!!

Kj and Steve and Jen and Marshall have come closer to ending their journey's and the end of their stories deserves a standing ovation. Seeing the two beautiful babies together in Kaz was just amazing. Congrads to them and I know that they will have many happy days ahead !!!!!

I am soo excited to travel and meet this little girl.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Shout out to my sisters.......we will be on a jet plane to see you guys in exactly 2 days!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's go shopping girls!!!!!!

a little snag!

Okay, so I have been such a lazy person about writing in my blog. I think it is probably because I am just waiting. I recieved my 171 H and sent my completed dossier to my agency. Unfortunately, my home study license was going to expire Dec 31st and so we have been waiting for the last month for the new agency license. I was afraid that was going to be a problem. Then it was decided that I needed to update two documents. I have done that and am now just waiting on the updated license, then all will be ready for translation. I will just be so glad when I am in forward motion phase. My coordinator, Andrea has been great and I am just trusting in her and trying to realize that all good things come to those that wait.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I am off all next week and going to Fayetteville, Ark. to see my sister for Christmas. She has two adorable babies and we will get to play!!!!!

THE ELUSIVE DOCUMENT HAS SURFACED!

I received my 171 H today!!!!!!! I am shocked and excited and doing the happy dance, the cha cha, and the electric slide all at the same time!!!!!! Dancing with the Stars would have been blown away! woooo hoooooo woooo whooo
we can move forwardddd :)
I am loving ready all of those blogs, especially the people who are now there adopting. A peek into the journey and experience whe dream about thus far.

Land of the Lost -- waiting on the 171 H

So today I switched my blog to this blog because I guess I didn't like the other blog. This blog thing has been a learning curve for me. Seems like everybody is doing it. Everybody's friends are doing it. So I am doing it. It is funny how you use these things to entertain yourself when you are waiting....and waiting......and waiting. Waiting on a little piece of paper that is the catalyst for all that is to come next. Waiting on this darn thing is getting me depressed. I mean really, you can work, work, work to get everything done and then you have complete loss of power. My homestudy was forwarded to the New Orleans office about a month ago. I have emailed them on multiple occasions to see if they recieved it (after reading horror stories about that happening). They don't email me back. Not one tiny word. I have called the main USCIS number and they say that they do not have access to that information. My only solution to check on it is to drive 3.5 hours to New Orleans and check myself in person. Ughhhh. I do have a job to keep, you know people! So, I am just waiting, but for some reason I am not feeling confident that it will ever come. There could be a problem and I would never know. What do others do about this????? I am a checker. I like to check on things and then double check. This whole thing is messing with my core personalty! And meanwhile, back at the ranch, my documents are silently aging........and no botox can bring them back!

The other issue is my homestudy license expires in Dec. so I will need a letter from the DHS lady stating that they are in good standing and blah blah. Still waiting. If the letter won't suffice, I may have to hold my dossier (that is if I get my 171 back) until the first of the year.
I know there will be setbacks, but I at least like to know that things are progressing.
right now.......nothing is progressing. I guess it is obvious, that lately, I have felt a little frustrated. I look forward to the day I send my dossier in and maybe then will I feel that this may really happen for us. I have not lost hope yet.

a little peace

a little peaceposted on 09/27/2007
Okay...so today I secured some money for the adoption.....just in case I need it. This helps me feel a little more secure in the process. I can now relax a little bit about the cost of everything. I also received the good news that the state of Mississippi now has an adoption credit of $2500. which will help some too!!!
I am going shopping this weekend with Parker and Ally and we are going to get a few things for them and for the baby. They are excited because they each get to take a friend and we are staying at a nice hotel. I am going to put Ally's dresser in the baby's room ( it is somewhat sentimental) and get Ally a big girl dresser. I cannot wait to get the baby's room together. I have some painting to do!! I hope it not cheesy.
My family is so sweet about everything and my friends ask daily about my progress. I am getting more and more excited. I have been researching this heavily for around 4 years and decided to do it some 1o years ago....so it is hard not to get excited at this point!
I just can't wait to see her and hold her for the first time. I am going in to this knowing that anything can happen and expecting that things might now be perfect, but that what is meant to be will work out for the best. I know that the age is not as important to me as I thought before. I would love a todder just as much and they are just as special.
maybe I will go back and get a little older child next time!!!!!!! I know that tha is crazy to say. It is hard not to want to reach out to all of the orpans when you have love to give!!!!
May God be with all of the lonely and abandoned children in this world and lay his comforting hand on their back while they sleep tonight. I hope that my baby girl is warm and fed. I hope she is satisfied and comfortable. It is the weirded sensation to think that your daughter is probably out there somewhere just waiting on someone to love her wholly and unconditionally. breathing, and crying when she is wet or hungry. I want to comfort for her!

This picture shows peace and hope, which is what I feel. It was taken in a beautiful Roman ruins in Morocco last year and it was a very moving and mesmerizing place. I felt more centered and alive after visiting that place.