We are WAITING!!!

Nobody would normally sound so excited to be WAITING, but we are now. As of 2 weeks ago (no, didn't post right away) we have been put on the waiting list for our little boy!!! VERY exciting news!! September 25th to be exact....my parents anniversary!

So now, paperwork on our end is finished for now. Now we get to wait till our referral is ready for us. Average wait time is 8-9 months right now....I'm thinking somewhere in the range of 6-9 months we'll get a call. And of course, when that happens, I will be posting for sure!

So, in the mean time, I get to chase my other 3 around and have lots of fun with them till we become a family of 4 children!

hello again....

Realized I hadn't posted in awhile! Just waiting right now for our last paper before our dossier is finished. We had our USCIS fingerprint appt on the 1st of the month, so we're just waiting for that "official" paper from them now. Hopefully soon. I would take it next week sometime.....that would be good! :-)

YIPPEE!! WOO HOO!!

We are Gladney approved!!! Received the email when I got home this afternoon....now if we could just get that fingerprint appt in the mail from USCIS we'd be set!! I'm hoping by the end of the week. That's about the same amount of time it took with Addison. If not, I'll probably be making a phone call to see what's up. Just seems to be more good news slowly coming in....

Home Study!!

We got the home study in the mail today!!! SOOOOOOOOOO excited!!! Everything is about packed up to be right back out the door!!! YIPPEE!!!!!!

Some good news!

Finally a bit of news....and good news I might add.
Our home study is done!! It's printed, signed, notarized and ready to go!! Spoke with her today and she was packing it up to get ready to send out. Soon, very soon, all we'll be waiting on is USCIS!!! How exciting!!!!!

Earrings

So my pretty little girl got her very own "pretties" this week. My rule was when she was old enough to make her own decision, she could get her ears pierced. Well, I think she had been telling me for awhile she was old enough to make her own decision. She kept playing with everyone's earrings!
As you are all wondering, I'm sure. Nope, no cries! She flinched when they stuck her ears, but then she saw them in the mirror. 3 mile wide smile. Absolutely priceless!!
Below you'll see my pretty proud babe!!

The tattoo

After a few months of trying to decide what was JUST RIGHT for me and how to honor the beautiful country of Ethiopia, it had finally come to me. So this past weekend, I got "inked" on the inside of my right ankle to show that honor...

Praise Him!!

Amazing! Just absolutely amazing!! Congratulations to the Fournet's today! They have passed court!!!!! We know it has been an extremely long year and journey, but the time has come for them to become a new family!!

Just waiting

Yep, just been waiting on our home study to be finished. Once that is finished we'll send that off to the appropriate places it needs to go. We'll then be SO close to done. I know, I keep saying we are SO close....really we are. Everything just takes time, patience and waiting...

So I got this new tool, if you want to call it, for Addison and her hair. Saw it advertised on tv and the internet and thought I'd check it out. Called the InStyler. Oh my gosh!! The best tool ever!!! LOVE seeing me girl with straight hair!! Well, till the humidity gets ahold of her! :-) Can't believe how long her hair really is though! Doesn't look as long when it's big and poofy :-)

Oh how she LOVES her roasted marshmallows!!!

Caleb LOVES his new little cousin Owen. Does anything to get him to smile!

The 4 boys at Cole's b-day party. Sno-cones were a hit that day!

Caleb loved attempting to push his sister in the stroller while camping.

My 2 boys on the first day of preschool playgroup. It's so hard to think Trevor will be starting kindergarten and Caleb preschool this fall!

What a great weekend ahead of us!

Yes, how very true for us!! We've started off pretty good. Yesterday we received our Life Insurance letter and today (although a month later!) we have received our Health Insurance letter. I was starting to believe it just was not going to come!! So we now have our last of our information headed to Gladney. The last they will need then is our finalized home study. So again, just one step closer!

We are excited to be heading out camping this weekend. Always love Memorial Day for that extra day out in nature and the beautiful weather! The kids are SO excited; they've been asking all day when we're leaving. When is Grandma Barb gonna call so we can leave!

To all, have a fabulous long weekend!

WOW, what a weekend!

It's been a crazy weekend! But it started off great when I was able to send the 2nd packet of paperwork out to Kate to have authenticated for us! STILL waiting on our health insurance letter to show up. Hopefully it'll be here this week! We've been waiting a month on that one, so I'm VERY glad I told them about it when I did!! At least that isn't the last thing we're waiting on!!

So my 2 youngest cousins both graduate this weekend. I can remember as if it was yesterday when they were born. Kinda crazy to think of them as seniors now ready to go off to college! But it's been a perfect and beautiful weekend for it!

No other real exciting news right now otherwise. Just in a little bit of a lull time right now waiting for a few things to show up or be finished up to ship off. A needed break, if nothing else. Trevor is out of school now for the summer, but the boys don't start playgroup till next week. I sure hope it's overly nice outside to let them run, or there might be 4 of us pulling our hair our come Friday!!! :-)

Last meeting

We had our last home study visit today. Great feeling to have just one more item checked off the list! We are getting SO close to being finished up, I can see that light at the end of the tunnel. Just a great feeling to know our little boy is just a little closer each and every day.

So now I'm just needing to get some documents notarized and get packet #2 Fedex'd out to Kate to be authenticated. That'll be my plan for tomorrow!! :-)

I have also decided to go back to school (again) :-) For a few years now I have looked into the medical transcriptionist program thru our little college here in town. I've pondered on and off thru the past few years and as of today, I am signed up for my first class. It'll be something I work on slowly and doing only as much as I can handle at that time, but I am VERY excited!!! I'll get to still be home with my kids, that's the best thing about it!!!!

It's been a busy, yet productive week!

So yesterday we had our 1st home study. All went well. Being familiar with the situation, it was a pretty simple process :-) But Juli....yes I was cleaning like a mad-woman!!

And I got a shocker today. We received our FBI Clearance this morning!! That went quick, but one more thing to mark off our list of things to do!!

Right now I'm getting ready to finish our dr appt. Gotta go back after having our blood work Tuesday and now get our papers signed. That'll be another thing to check off.

But tonite I'm headed for a good time. Going with some friends to see Wicked and I'm VERY excited.

Preparation

Haven't had a lot to work on in the past week. Just about everything for me to do has been taken care of. There are a couple documents that need to be redone for Kate, but those are kinda no big deal. And there is plenty of time to get those to her.
Still waiting on our health insurance letter. I don't like it when people think I have all the time in the world. That letter to me is one of those things to where once it's in my hands, I can rest at ease! :) Just a bit frustrating....but it should be here soon. (HOPEFULLY!!)

Tomorrow is our first home study. Ready to get that all started. Once the home study is finished we'll be able to finish up what is not yet done. So we're close, really close. It's a good feeling.

Today's news

Well, today seemed to have started off ok, till I got out of bed!! :)

We received our paperwork back from USCIS today. Since I sent personal checks instead of money orders or cashiers checks, they sent it all back. I should have known better, but I did what my paperwork said I could do. So tomorrow I'll be off to the bank to get that fixed and resent off. That's a minor detail, I guess.

Today I did get a message from our home study lady, so we have 2 of our 3 visits scheduled. I am very happy about that. Cuz I know once the home study is finished, just about everything else will be able to be finished as well.

Then I had my dr appt today. Most of that is done. That was pretty harmless....well, except Caleb. He decided to get loud and crabby while there! That was a bit embarrassing!! Why is it, kids are always the worst at the worst times?!? Why not freak out at home?!?

Anyway, let's hope my night starts looking up. Have one more stop before my day is done (not related to the adoption process). Hopefully that appt will be successful, but I'm not holding my breath.

More paperwork off....

I can't believe how fast things seem to be going for us right now! It's quite amazing!! I have sent off our 2nd packet to Gladney today and our first packet to Kate at KBS Dossiers. (she will be taking care of authenticating our documents to go to Ethiopia). So as of right now, I don't have much left to do on my own. It's basically the home study and then sending that to all who needs it! Amazing! Just amazing!!

I have accomplished a TON!!!

Lots of things done today!! Holy cow, it's like I had a fire lit under me!! :)

So, our fingerprints appt is tomorrow. I was shocked when I called to hear them say there was an opening. I'LL TAKE IT!! Got our dr's appts made. Mine isn't till next week, and Mark's the week after. But we've still got plenty of time and plenty of other things to do in the meantime. Talked to the insurance lady about getting our letter. That's usually a hard thing for me to get, so hopefully that'll go a bit smoother this time! Otherwise, the home study paperwork and Gladney's first packet is ready to be sent off!! This is amazing!!! :)

I'm tellin' ya....it IS so much easier the second time around!!!

One year home

One year ago, at this very moment I am typing (~10am) we were back on American soil. We had landed in D.C. and starting making our way thru everything to get to our next gate to fly home.
Over the past week(s) I have looked back thru so much over the past 1-2 years. From starting our orientation call to flying to Addis and back with our dear sweet daughter. If God isn't absolutely amazing, I really don't know WHAT you would call it!
So as we pursue adoption #2, it brings back lots of memories.....and speaking of memories....here are a few pics of our return home with our 3rd babe.





And a few more pics after Addison home for a week...

Paperwork has started

So this afternoon I started on all the paperwork that lies ahead of us. I would say, 5-6 hours, doing as much as I can by myself. I'm very happy with what I accomplished today. I can say, so far, it does seem easier the 2nd time around. We know what we're looking for, kinda what we're doing, what to expect and what we'll need. That helps a ton!!!

So I went paperwork crazy today and have the initial stuff done to ship to USCIS tomorrow!! YAY!! Next to have my full attention is the home study info to get that going. Home study is needed for everything, so the sooner that is finished up, the sooner some of the other items on the list will be able to be checked off!! :)

It's now off to relax a little before starting back up tomorrow. I'm going to bed awfully happy tonite though!!!

Happy "Gotcha Day"!!

Yes, 1 year ago today Mark and I held our little girl in our arms for the first time. Seems SO crazy!!!

I think back to 1 year ago....she was sitting up, drinking from a bottle, wearing 3-6 month clothes.....today she's RUNNING!, using a sippy cup and wearing 2T!! All I can say is....WHAT a blessing!!!

Here we go again.....

So yesterday I was surprised to receive the other 2 emails we've been waiting on. ALL the paperwork we will be taking care of in the upcoming months. Got it all sorted thru this afternoon. Ready to get started come next week. Excited to get started, but yet, know what's in store. Lots of writing!! :) But we'll keep that little boy in our thoughts....he is our light at the end of our tunnel!

Paperwork has begun......

It is now official! As of just a few minutes ago, we have received our beginning information and paperwork for adoption #2. It's been a good day and it's gonna end even better!

Please pray this all goes well and smoothly for us. We are SOOOO excited to have another bundle of joy in our home to join our family!!

some pics from the weekend

Well, my oldest, Trevor, has now turned 5. I am still in shock!
Caleb, the middle one, is now 3. And completely onry!!
And, believe it or not, Addison is 20 months already!!
WHERE DOES THE TIME GO!?!??!?!

And, as of today, we are filling out the first of our paperwork. It's still the initial information and orientation stuff. After they receive this back, we'll then get the rest of the info and paperwork to dive in to everything we'll be doing again. The paperwork isn't always exciting, but keeping in mind the gift from God in the end is completely worth it!!

Adopting AGAIN!!!!

Yes, it is true!! We have made the decision we are going to adopt again! We are all so excited about this new venture and journey, once again, to our little child in Ethiopia....

We don't have all the information quite yet....still in the VERY beginning stages of this.....but stay posted.....more info will come as time goes by............

WOW!

Has it really been 3 months since I wrote on this thing?!?! Holy cow!

Well, I guess lots has happened since that time. Christmas for one. We had a good holiday. Addison knew exactly what to do with those gifts under the tree that were given to her! She even had grandpa wrapped around her finger when it was time to take the toys out of their boxes! :)

We celebrated Ethiopian Christmas January 7th and I made 3 Ethiopian dishes for us and my parents. I was sad that only 1 of them turned out, BUT, it was the one we liked while in Ethiopia, so I couldn't complain! My injera was NOT good....but I would try it again sometime. I've gotta be able to perfect it at some point in my life!! :)

It's hard to believe spring is just around the corner. Trevor has been on spring break this week, so we've had an enjoyable time at home playing with him and doing fun activities inside and out. Him and I were discussing yesterday though, he only has 7 or 8 weeks left of preschool and he'll officially be a kindergartner! TOO CRAZY!! Hard to think he's going to be 5 in just over a week!!

Still working on the potty training with Caleb. Any hints or suggestions?? Throw them my way! He's getting better, but it's also, when he wants to do it, he'll do it. Otherwise, just forget it! I'm still crossing my fingers he's ready by August! He wants to go to "Trevor's school", so I hope he gets it, and SOON!

And Addison has shown us SO much since coming home! A month from Saturday she will have been home with us for 1 entire year already! It's absolutely crazy to think about that! She has grown like a weed and shown us SO much in the past year. Her speech is amazing! Sometimes she'll be playing and talking to herself, Mark thinks she's speaking German! :) But her words (her favorite being SHOES) are so clear! It's fun to sit and have a little conversation with her! She's learned to stand up for herself...well, sometimes. Other times she is the typical "all girl"! But she picks on the boys as much as they pick on her! It's kinda funny to watch sometimes!

Below is a recent picture of us all. This would have been the first weekend in February when we were leaving Phoenix (visiting Mark's mom) to come home.