Can you hear me shouting.......

Yep Dossier To China today!!!!

Just got the email from our agency that the story of our life is on it's way to Caleb's country!

I thought this day would never happen.

Now we wait for a LID - log in date!! Who knows when that is.  I've seen some in less then a week but our agency is saying 2-4 weeks!!!

More of sweet "jimmy"

Do you remember Jimmy?

I just wrote about him.  How he is only 4 and is already close to being given up on.  You can read about it here

Well I had a friend ask if I knew of any other pictures.  I didn't but figured someone had to so the search began and then JACKPOT!!!  Enjoy and remember he is running out of time.

Share About him

Pray for him!





 He is so young, so innocent, so much in need of a family and SO darn cute!!!!

A new love....

Last night Ben and I decided to try something new.

I have wanted to can for a couple years now.

I feel so many women are losing so many skills that our mom's had.  My mom knows how to can and sew (and can I say she is amazing at it and is willing to try anything I ask....love ya mom and remember I need a curtain for the girl's room :) )  Two things I would love to know how to do.

So we decided instead of just wishing we would learn how to do it.  We decided to start with salsa. 

My awesome girlfriend had an over abundance of tomatoes and jalapeno peppers and gave them to me so what better time to make salsa. 

The kids were put to bed and we began......

Blanching.....

Chopping.....

Cooking......

Doesn't it look awesome....we LOVE salsa!

Hard at work :)

fun picture waiting for the salsa to boil...lol!

It was a blast.   I loved just spending time with Ben doing something new.  It was one of those things that you think....why haven't we done this before.  

We only got 10 cans out of what we did but now we know we need to quadruple the recipe next year....Yep we love salsa.

Now on to my list of what next to can....

Pears....

Apples.....

Spaghetti sauce.....

Love learning something new!

SO YOUNG.....

He is so young

Only 4....

He is a fighter.....

He CAN learn.....

He walks

He runs

He is starting to talk

BUT

If he doesn't have a family step forward for him he will be lost

Lost

Given up on

Forgotten.......

Jimmy is cared for.  Loved.  Special.

He lives right now with a foster family.  They love him and it shows.  He has blossomed since arriving there.  But, if a family isn't found the orphanage is going to take him out of there and return him to the orphanage.  They decided they are going to put a new child in the foster home.  One who has a "better" chance of finding a home.  Not only did they decide this but also that they may not renew his paperwork.   This means he will no longer be available for adoption.  His name will not be on any list for families or agencies to pick him.  He will have NO chance to find his forever family.

This is URGENT!!  This little one needs a family!  He needs someone to step up.  Are you his mommy!!!



Click here to see info on him



Scentsy!!

Who doesn't like walking into their house and smelling apple pie or vanilla!!

If you are anything like me I love, love when my house smells like HOME 

but 

I do not like worrying if I blew out a candle

so

Scentsy is perfect......wonderful smelling home with no worries of candles!!

And they look awesome!

And they have new Scentsy buddies that you can go online with and play games! 

You can go here and it will take you to our fundraiser page "adding a branch to our tree fundraiser"

We are so grateful for everyone who has help bring home Caleb.  We could not do this without each and everyone of you!

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We also got a voicemail from our agency today.  They have every document except our last and all of them are correct. 

Thank the Lord we expedited that last one.  It will be to her on Tues sooooo......all those that live around us just fair warning when you here me screaming and jumping around Tuesday or Wed.  It will be because we got the call that our paperwork is on it's way to China!!!!

Cousins......

I remember growing up seeing my cousins all the time. 

We lived close by.

We visited for playdates

We sat in the car as our mom's stopped at rummage after rummage (must be where I got my LOVE of rummaging!)

We met at each other's home for dinners and BBQ

When we visited my grandparents usually there would be someone else there.

I loved it.  I loved seeing family.

Unfortunately we don't live by any family.  So when we do get to see them it is a huge treat.  Sunday I met my brother 1/2 way and picked up my niece and nephew.  Our kids were thrilled to say the least. 

We enjoyed the next three days to the fullest.....

Swimming

Rock climbing

visiting our local sweets and ice cream shop

going to the EAA

playing kickball in the street

renting movies

and of course having a few friendly competitive games

I am so thankful for my family and the chance my kids have to make

 forever friendships with their cousins

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Well our documents came back correct from the sec. of state and so has our "golden ticket".  We forwarded the correct documents about a week ago down to the Chinese consulate in Chicago to join up with our other documents which have been sitting there since July 22nd.......sooooo frustrating. 

This Tues we got back the "golden ticket" and I made the decision to try to expedite it.  When you send it regular it can take 10 business days to process and they aren't open on Friday so that is about 2.5 wks.  So hoping that since my other documents were sitting so long and only waiting for corrected ones and these are all we are waiting for to send everything to Caleb's country I decided to speed this last one through.  So I called a courier (have to use one if you want to expedite) and she was so nice.  I overnighted it to her.  She will be dropping it off today and picking it up Monday.  Overnighting it to WACAP Monday and as long as my other documents are delivered by then.......

"DTC day" will hopefully be Tuesday!

Did I loose a bunch of you?!?!?  Sorry if I did.  I'll make it easy we need prayer that all our documents are in our SW hands on Tuesday and all correct and early enough for her to turn around and send them back out!!!

We are also getting our last baskets together for a spaghetti dinner benefit Oct. 8th.

I am so excited but so stressed for this and I'm praying that this one is success! 

I am ready for the papers to be in China and many people waiting to get their plate of spaghetti ;)

I keep saying by the time this adoption is over I'm going to have a head full of gray hair!!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself..." (Mt., 6:34)



Christmas Early....

So I know I am absolutely nuts

But.....

Anyone looking for a awesome Christmas gift for your spouse or that hard to please kid.

This little girl's mom is holding a give away..... I know I just posted one but this one is an

IPAD II

and this little one also needs to get home!!

After being abandon she was placed on hospice care in her country because they felt they couldn't help her and have never taken her off of it in the 4 yrs she has been there....

Yep 4 yrs.  She obviously is a fighter and her mom is now fighting to get her home ASAP to get her the help her country is refusing to give her.

Go HERE to drop some money in for her ransom and comment to be entered into the give away for that amazing gift for that special someone (or yourself!!).



DESPERATE!!!

UPDATE:  Liliana's goal was met and exceded in less then 24hrs!!!!  over $22,000 raised!  Her parents are racing as fast as they can to get everything in and get to her.


I know some have seen her face......read my plea....

BUT

I need to continue to show people......

HER......... LILIANA

Her upper arms are 3 inches around!

She is ELEVEN Years OLD...11 and weighs just 10 lbs nope not a mistake 10 lbs

I just don't understand how someone can look at her everyday and think this is ok.  Think that she doesn't need help.  Think that they are doing right by her.

It makes me sick to think that those with her everyday, not one, has helped her.  Not one has saved her.

She is ELEVEN

ELEVEN yrs of pain.

ELEVEN yrs of suffering.

ELEVEN years of starving.

ELEVEN years of abuse.

ELEVEN years of being alone and fighting for her life.........

Well Liliana your not alone.  You have people fighting now for you.  You have a family who is going to try to get to you but they need help.  They need finances.  They need this to move at Godspeed and they can't do it without help. 

A amazing woman has put together, with much help, an amazing give away!

Please if you ever felt that at some point in your life you would help out a child's grant.  Please choose NOW!  This little girl needs a sea of people to come to her rescue.  She needs everyone who sees her face to love her and choose to help.  Any amount helps.  You don't need to empty your account (unless that is you feel led!) but you can give up those snacks next time you go shopping, or that shirt you feel you need, or that night out and instead drop $20 or $50 in her fund. 

There is many, many AMAZING prizes to this give away.

Go here to donate and make sure you leave a comment that you did so you can be entered.

Take one last look and know that every cent you give is to give this little girl a fighting chance!

It's a good good day!!!

Yep it was......

Today was good.

It started by me flagging down the mailman as I was leaving the sub-division to see if by chance we got anything. 

And you know what?

You know what he handed me????

Yep we got it, the

Golden Ticket

So since I promised the kids we would go to the park off we went.

On the way I called Ben and told him he needed to be home in time to notarize it. 

Then when we got home I started to get the paperwork ready to send it to Madison and the doorbell rang.  I go to look and it is the Fed Ex with our 2 corrected documents that we have been trying to get done for the last month.  So.....

we ran and notarized the golden ticket and I headed to the fed ex office.

Sent the golden ticket to Madison and the 2 corrected documents to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago.

Oh yes it was a good day.

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So what is next......

Once the golden ticket comes back from Madison we send it to Chicago and then everything will be done.  Once our agency gets it back then it is

"DTC" day ---- Dossier to China Day!!!!  Can not wait we are hoping that will be next Friday!

It is getting closer and closer.......hold on sweet boy.

APPROVED

We are

APPROVED for our I800A!!

I talked to our SW yesterday and she said we are approved and it is in the mail!!!

So that is our last piece of paper we need for our dossier.  So once it gets here we notarize it.  Send it to the Sec. of State and the Chinese consulate in Chicago and then off to China it goes!

That is a HUGE step closer to Caleb.

Yay!!!

It was a great day yesterday.

We also got a call with someone offering to donate our kindle for our benefit.....

How awesome is that.  Our baskets are quickly coming together.

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My mother-in-law is in town and watched the kids while I was able to paint the girls room...

I only had the paint for over a year :) 

Of course my little helpers had to stop in a couple times and help!

Yep Cori that is your ladder you gave me.  I used it as a blanket/quilt holder.....love it

Still need to paint flowers on the wall and make a curtain (well actually have my mom!) and then the room will be done!  Hopefully I finish before the girls get too old and don't like purple ; )

Yep it was one of those days where everything fell into place and you went to bed thinking.....that was one awesome and productive day!!!



Update....

So what is going on around here......

Well Ana is over the chicken pox!!!  They were very mild and not one blistered 

so I didn't have to worry about her itching any open.

We finally found out through a courier which 2 documents our Sec. of State apostilled wrong.  

So I redid one and I am waiting now for our police clearance back.  Of course

when I went for that on Monday this little town had a huge weekend of activity and the 

chief had to do interviews.  So now i wait for it.

Our fingerprinting was done last week and now we wait for an officer.  I  called yesterday

and they told me they have 90 days from when they first received the I800A.  Ok that was June 23rd

so I said...So you have until the end of Sept??  There reply...Yep!  

Me....Is there anyway it can be sped up we are trying to get there because he gets so sick in winter!!!

Them.....Nope!

Me....So that's that?

Them....Yep!

Ok then I guess I just wait :(

So the wait just continues.....I feel like we take one huge step forward and 2 baby steps back.

I think the Lord is trying to teach me patience.  I keep asking if he could wait to teach it

after all our paperwork is in and in China oh and after we get our boy in our hands....lol

CHECK......

We got our fingerprints done today.....check!!!

Got one document redone that the sec. of state did wrong.....check!!

Met with some friends to plan a spaghetti dinner benefit.....check!!!

Finally got the kids to bed....check, check, check!!!

I'd say it was a great day!



Blessings

(I saw this on another blog and had to share the poem)

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a Chickadee sang.

But, the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God, speak to me!" And, the thunder rolled across the sky.

But, the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.

But the man did not notice.

And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!" And, a life was born.

But, the man did not know.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"

Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.

But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.

~unknown~

 

Here are some blessings that I pray someone will not brush off and continue walking.

 

 

Elden

 

From a missionary who visited with him recently: Elden is very lively, joyful and playful boy. He loves games and jokes. He is the favourite of kids and personnel at the orphanage. Elden is a special kid. Before he was weak but due to attention of caregivers and lessons he made a great progress. He become strong and now quickly learns everything new. He as well starts walking.

Sounds like he would be a wonderful son!

 

Alice

 

She has over $7000.00 available for a grant

 

Spots, benadryl and oatmeal bath.........

Did you guess it???

Yep we have the case of chicken pox in the house......such a bummer.

Ana had her vaccination last week and yesterday woke up with a couple spots on her stomach and back.  This morning they have spread to face, arms, legs and butt.....so yep basically her entire body but right now they are just little red dots so hopefully they don't get much bigger.

Lots of oatmeal baths and ibuprofen for her fever.  I noticed her starting to scratch but she always is using the back of her hand.  Hope it stays that way and I pray they are very mild!!!

I guess you can't see them in this picture but she is still so cute I had to post.  She is taking her oatmeal bath.