Immigration Approval!!!

So, I've been diligently checking the mail all this week and last in hopes that our Immigration approval letter might come in the mail, all the while knowing there was no chance it was going to happen! I went the mailbox the day after Christmas, once again hoping, yet knowing our approval letter wouldn't be there, but to my surprise IT WAS!!! It took 4 weeks and 1 day, but it finally arrived. We are officially approved to adopt two children from Ethiopia. I was literally running the car and beaming from ear to ear (people probably thought I was a little nuts, but oh well :) )! We sent in the letter yesterday so that it's in office (AGCI) when they return on Jan. 2nd from vacation. I'll be sending an email to Julie (our case manager) to confirm they got it and finding out how quickly we get to be placed on the waiting list. Once I know, I'll let all of you know! Some good friends are #10 on the list for a baby girl and they just got put on the list, so maybe we'll be #11. We're not sure what the boy waiting list or the sibling waiting list looks like. We're open to to all three groups and still praying about whether we wait for two kids or adopt just one. I'm hoping it becomes clear very soon!! Thank you all again for your love and support. Love to you all!

Merry Christmas

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!! We have lots of traditions planned and things to do, but most of all we are looking forward to being together as well as with extended family. Although this is a crazy time of year and everyone has lots to do, we wanted to share one of our favorite Christmas traditions...

Giving Forward
Each year, we choose someone special who gets to receive the "giving forward" gift. The giving forward gift is a gift that gives beyond the person who receives it. I'm sure you're wondering what it is! Tom and I have always been drawn to an organization called World Vision. This is an organization that works to eradicate poverty around the world. They provide many opportunities for those who have much, to give. For example, you can send money in and they will purchase chickens, a goat, cow, etc. to give to families in need so they can sustain themselves. They also provide education, water, fishing gear, AIDS medicine, the list just keeps on going. These gifts really are gifts that go beyond just a one time deal. Families who receive a chicken can then survive by eating and selling the eggs that the chicken provides. We absolutely love this organization. This year, Lowa and Whittaker get to pick who the "giving forward" gift goes to. We want them to know that Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate Christ's birth (most importantly), family, and having fun with food and presents. But, we also want them to know, that Christ came and gave us a gift - himself. Thus, we want to honor Christ by giving to others as well! If you want to check out World Vision, they're on-line.
This is a wonderful tradition for our family that we love doing. We hope each of you have a tradition that you love as well.

Once again, we wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! Love to you all!

Shoveling Snow and Best Friends

Bellingham got its first snow last weekend!! My kids LOVED it to say the least. They love to run around on the back deck, throw snowballs and "skate" as they call it. I wanted to share this picture of Whittaker and Tom shoveling the snow off the driveway because it is just so precious to me how they bond in so many ways. After it had snowed, Tom shoveled the driveway so that we could get out if need be. Whitt was all about helping. He grabbed his shovel and "helped" daddy by making piles in the middle of the driveway. They both loved it. I love how my son adores his father. He always asks to see Tom when he wakes up in the morning and continues asking for him throughout the day. Tom is such a wonderful dad to Whitt. They are a team for sure!

Daddy and Whitt shoveling snow

I have another cute Whitt story I have to share. I was sitting on the floor helping Whitt get his pull-up on for nap today (yes, he's starting to potty train - very slowly). All of the sudden he looks right into my eyes and says, "My best friend Mom." Then he gave me a huge smile and a hug to go along with it. To say that it melted my heart is an understatement! I hugged that kid so hard I probably popped a few blood vessels. What a gift he is! I will treasure this for the rest of my life (and I'll have to remember it when he's a teenager telling me how awful I am :) ).


Best Friends making Big Smiles!

Paperwork is Sent

Yesterday was the day of sending off the dossier and the home study - hooray!!! It feels so wonderful to have that out of my hands and into the AGCI office. It's exciting to know that they'll be reviewing it within the next couple of days and then letting us know if there is anything we need to redo or fix. The last step will be to send in our approval letter for the child(rens) Visas (read my last blog for info. on that). Once AGCI receives that we will go on the waiting list. Last I knew there were 8 families waiting for girls, and 8 families waiting for boys. There were none waiting for siblings. I have no idea what this means for a timeline, but I will be asking our case manager next Monday during our "weekly adoption" calls. I'll update all of you as soon as we know anything. Once again, we thank all of you who are loving and supporting us through this incredible process that God has called us to! What a roller coaster of an adventure. What would you learn if it were all easy though?!

Here I am sending off the dossier and home study - a happy day!

Moving Forward

We're actually moving on to a new stage in the adoption process - YEAH!!! We received our home study (all of the Domestic paperwork) last week (the day before Thanksgiving). This was a huge blessing as we were expecting it to take another few weeks. Our social worker, pushed through and worked her buns off to get it done for us!! After we received this we could travel to Yakima to get our fingerprints with the Department of Justice (we could not get our fingerprints done or even send them in without our official home study). Why travel to Yakima you ask? Well, let me tell you... We could get our fingerprints done here in Bellingham at the police station and mail them in, but the processing would taker another 3-4 weeks. If we travel to Yakima, we get the prints done in one day and then only have to wait the 2-5 weeks of processing instead of tacking on that extra time if we mailed them. Why do you need to get the fingerprints in the first place you ask? Let me tell you... To be able to receive the Visas for our child(ren) to come back to the Unites States, we have to be approved through the government that we're legal citizens, don't have an warrants out against us, we're not on a watch list, etc. They have to clear us legally through all of their systems to show that we're ok not only locally but federally as well. That's how I understand it anyway.

After getting our prints done, we were able to finish up our dossier (all of the International paperwork). We get to mail the dossier and home study in on Monday (Nov. 3rd) to AGCI at which point they will work on processing the paperwork. Once the fingerprints from the Dept. of Justice are approved, they will mail us a "Favorable Determination" letter. At that point, we'll overnight it to AGCI and they will put us on the official waiting list - hooray!! At that point I will be officially done with my paperwork! I will post when all of this happens.

Just wanted to update you all and let you know again that we are so thankful for all of your prayers and support. You are each a blessing to us and we thank God for each of you in our lives!

Here's Tom and I at the Department of Justice after getting our fingerprints. Once more tick off the old clock!