We had hoped to hear from our social worker last week regarding our referral. So halfway through this week I couldn't stand it anymore and emailed her and asked if there was ANYTHING I could do ahead of time to make the process after the referral go quicker. She said that I can start filling out the I800 and other paperwork so it will just need to be dated and signed. Within an hour she had emailed me the documents and we spent the next hour going line by line through each document. With having to fill out 3 sets, it was over 100 pages!
Then at the end of the conversation she said she needed to give me some news. Everything is going fine, except our timeline is going to be pushed back by a month, most likely. Our dossier was submitted to ICBF in Bogota on Jan 6, and on Jan 20th it was approved and sent to Medellin's ICBF. Unfortunately, the ICBF let her know that they will be unable to give us a referral for another 3-4 weeks. They didn't offer any explanation, either.
We are HOPING that the reason is because they are updating our kids' medical reports. The information we received back in October was already about a year old. So it would be great if they are getting the whole packet of info current.
So that means that we are looking now to travel in late April, not March. We're pretty bummed, but are still thankful that we DID get ICBF approval- which apparently can be difficult the first time through, sometimes. It will give us time to do all the extra things on the To Do list and try to save some more money. I do have to say, I'm also pretty disappointed that I don't get to spend the cold Maryland winter months in beautiful, sunny Medellin! LOL!
I struggled a little bit feeling irritated that our travel plans were messed up. Feeling tired and weary of all the delays we've experienced over the last year and a half. Feeling sorry for us. Feeling really ready to just be done with the process and get our kids.
But, I've been reading through the Pentateuch where the Israelites were whining about God's timing and plans for them to enter the Promised Land. I started thinking, "How arrogant they were. Sheesh. Why couldn't they just trust God's timing!" Uh, oh. That very day God revealed my judgemental heart. I was doing the same thing!! How arrogant of me to demand we travel when WE think we should travel! How dare I feel sorry for myself when I KNOW that all of this is God's BEST for me! Can I not trust the All-knowing, All-mighty, All-sufficient God with our adoption travel dates? He knows best even when I think I do. So, I'm thankful for this lesson about trusting God along this journey. Thankful that He didn't let me continue in my selfishness and arrogance. Oh, there is so much to learn! I am thankful He is patient with this slow learner!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
ICBF and Albums
I just got word today that our dossier has been submitted to the main ICBF office in Bogota! That means we are officially in STAGE 3! See This Link to see the next steps of the process!
I am so happy! My social worker was almost apologetic in her email that that was all the news she had. But, I was just ecstatic because I had never heard that it made it past the translations stage!
So this means that sometime between Christmas and New Years our dossier finished translations AND went through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office!
There is still a chance that we can travel at the end of February if our timeline stays on course. We'll see.
If not, I know it is all going to be God's perfect timing anyway. (I have to keep reminding myself of this! LOL!)
***********************************
I'm also in the process of working on photo albums for each of the chicos to send in a care package as soon as we get our referral.
I was just going to do a digital album from Walgreens, but have been rethinking that. It's not as personal as a hand-made photo album with cute stickers and pretty paper lovingly put together. Especially because this will hopefully be a treasured memento they will have for the rest of their lives.
I do not have one single crafty bone in my body, so this will definitely be a labor of love! The thought of having to fill a blank white page with stickers, paper and pictures absolutely terrifies me!
And, there is the pressure that I need to complete it quickly since a referral will probably be here by the end of January! Any of my scrapbooking friends are welcome to lend any words of layout advice or help! LOL! Or should I just go with the digital album and save myself the stress? LOL!
I am so happy! My social worker was almost apologetic in her email that that was all the news she had. But, I was just ecstatic because I had never heard that it made it past the translations stage!
So this means that sometime between Christmas and New Years our dossier finished translations AND went through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office!
There is still a chance that we can travel at the end of February if our timeline stays on course. We'll see.
If not, I know it is all going to be God's perfect timing anyway. (I have to keep reminding myself of this! LOL!)
***********************************
I'm also in the process of working on photo albums for each of the chicos to send in a care package as soon as we get our referral.
I was just going to do a digital album from Walgreens, but have been rethinking that. It's not as personal as a hand-made photo album with cute stickers and pretty paper lovingly put together. Especially because this will hopefully be a treasured memento they will have for the rest of their lives.
I do not have one single crafty bone in my body, so this will definitely be a labor of love! The thought of having to fill a blank white page with stickers, paper and pictures absolutely terrifies me!
And, there is the pressure that I need to complete it quickly since a referral will probably be here by the end of January! Any of my scrapbooking friends are welcome to lend any words of layout advice or help! LOL! Or should I just go with the digital album and save myself the stress? LOL!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Learning Spanish
Learning another language is hard. My brain doesn't work like it did when I was younger. Memorizing things takes much more effort.
As a family, we began two years ago learning Spanish. We started with the ever popular Rosetta Stone. It's expensive but since we homeschool, I chalked it up to school costs. While I do like the immersion method, we found it to be difficult for our family. The kids had a difficult time with the talking portion of the program. No matter how accurately we adjusted the age/difficulty levels, they just could not pronounce the words precisely as the program wanted them to. This left them frustrated and unable to progress even though they knew the words. I too had difficulty saying the words to match the exact inflection in the recording's voice. We even upgraded our headset microphone from the one included, but nothing helped. It's a good program, we just couldn't make the speaking portion work for us.
So, this past year for school we switched to Spanish for Children. It is a homeschool textbook curriculum that is fairly new. It's just ok. I'm not in love with it so far, but at least we are learning the basics of conjugating verbs. I had no idea what conjugations were, so learning this along with the kids has been very helpful.
I took 2 years of French in high school. The first year I had a teacher that tried to teach us Japanese instead of French since he spoke it better, and the second year my teacher got cancer and we had a substitute for 90% of the year. Needless to say I never really learned a foreign language!
Brent and I ended up getting Fluenz, a fairly new program made by college students for adults learning another language. It is similar to Rosetta Stone, but where RS is immersion, Fluenz actually gives tutorials that explain the grammar behind what you are saying.
We were doing really well with it for a few months, and then our Mexico adoption fell apart and we got out of the habit and haven't picked it back up again! I need to get back to it, but the enormity of the task is causing me to feel overwhelmed. And, it is definitely focused for the adult business person. I think lesson 3 has you ordering beer! There is NO WAY we can learn what we need to before we bring home our chicos.
That's precisely why Brent and I have fallen in love with this simple Cd and booklet made especially for adoptive parents. The company is called Simple Language for Adoptive Families and they have programs for several different languages.
It is a pocket sized spiral bound book (I love that it will fit in my purse while we're in Colombia!) that contains all the most common phrases and sentences an adoptive parent might need in the first few months with their child. It also has a companion cd that says the sentence first in English, then the Spanish is repeated twice with time in between for you to practice it on your own. And, the voices are very pleasant to listen to!
Brent downloaded the cd onto his Itouch so he can listen in his work vehicle. He is able to listen more frequently than I am so he is really flying with it! Right now he has the chapters "Words of Affection", and "Boundaries" memorized and is working on "Bedtime". I'm just starting "Boundaries". We figured we'd go out of order and prioritize what phrases we will need right away!
Anyway, if you are a prospective adoptive parent, I highly recommend this little book. We're loving it!
As a family, we began two years ago learning Spanish. We started with the ever popular Rosetta Stone. It's expensive but since we homeschool, I chalked it up to school costs. While I do like the immersion method, we found it to be difficult for our family. The kids had a difficult time with the talking portion of the program. No matter how accurately we adjusted the age/difficulty levels, they just could not pronounce the words precisely as the program wanted them to. This left them frustrated and unable to progress even though they knew the words. I too had difficulty saying the words to match the exact inflection in the recording's voice. We even upgraded our headset microphone from the one included, but nothing helped. It's a good program, we just couldn't make the speaking portion work for us.
So, this past year for school we switched to Spanish for Children. It is a homeschool textbook curriculum that is fairly new. It's just ok. I'm not in love with it so far, but at least we are learning the basics of conjugating verbs. I had no idea what conjugations were, so learning this along with the kids has been very helpful.
I took 2 years of French in high school. The first year I had a teacher that tried to teach us Japanese instead of French since he spoke it better, and the second year my teacher got cancer and we had a substitute for 90% of the year. Needless to say I never really learned a foreign language!
Brent and I ended up getting Fluenz, a fairly new program made by college students for adults learning another language. It is similar to Rosetta Stone, but where RS is immersion, Fluenz actually gives tutorials that explain the grammar behind what you are saying.
We were doing really well with it for a few months, and then our Mexico adoption fell apart and we got out of the habit and haven't picked it back up again! I need to get back to it, but the enormity of the task is causing me to feel overwhelmed. And, it is definitely focused for the adult business person. I think lesson 3 has you ordering beer! There is NO WAY we can learn what we need to before we bring home our chicos.
That's precisely why Brent and I have fallen in love with this simple Cd and booklet made especially for adoptive parents. The company is called Simple Language for Adoptive Families and they have programs for several different languages.
It is a pocket sized spiral bound book (I love that it will fit in my purse while we're in Colombia!) that contains all the most common phrases and sentences an adoptive parent might need in the first few months with their child. It also has a companion cd that says the sentence first in English, then the Spanish is repeated twice with time in between for you to practice it on your own. And, the voices are very pleasant to listen to!
Brent downloaded the cd onto his Itouch so he can listen in his work vehicle. He is able to listen more frequently than I am so he is really flying with it! Right now he has the chapters "Words of Affection", and "Boundaries" memorized and is working on "Bedtime". I'm just starting "Boundaries". We figured we'd go out of order and prioritize what phrases we will need right away!
Anyway, if you are a prospective adoptive parent, I highly recommend this little book. We're loving it!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Next Steps and Prayer Requests
I forgot to update everyone! Our FBI apostilles arrived to Gladney a while ago and were sent to Colombia. So as of right now our dossier is either fully translated or almost finished. Here's the next series of events so you understand the process. We are somewhere around step 1 or 2. Hopefully we'll know something for sure, soon.
Approval Process (If any of you veteran adoptive parents are reading this and find something inaccurate, please correct me! I'm still a newbie!)
1. Our dossier is sent to the translators. Then our agency double checks everything.
2. Our dossier is taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bogota to check apostilles and get a stamp on it. The unfortunate thing is that only four documents per agency are allowed to be submitted each day. So that means our dossier could take a week or more just to get all the stamps it needs. I was told that ours is the only dossier being processed right now, so hopefully that means a shorter wait.
3. Our dossier is then submitted to the ICBF office in Bogota, the capital. There it will be approved that we are indeed allowed to adopt in Colombia. From what I hear, there is a particular woman in the office that sometimes pulls the dossiers of people who are adopting older or sibling groups in order to make the process go faster. We're praying that she will pull ours and get it moving.
4. The ICBF office in Bogota will then send our dosser to Medellin, where our chicos live. There, they will review the homestudy and psychological and other documents to be sure we are a good match for these particular children. We already sent a Letter of Intent back when we were matched with them, which essentially puts those children "on hold" for us. No other family is allowed to view their file when they are "on hold".
5. If the ICBF sees that we are all a good match, they will issue a formal referral to our agency for us. A referral is where we will receive updated pictures, medical records, a biopsychosocial report and any other info important to them.
6. We will review the updated referral information and if we decide to proceed with the adoption we will send a letter of acceptance and a care package for the children. The social workers in Colombia will start the transition process with the children, explaining to them what is going to happen.
7. At the same time, we will send all the children's paperwork, along with the I800 immigration forms to USCIS, where they will review and issue a visa for our children to become US citizens once the adoption is finalized. This is called an article 5 letter, I think.
8. As soon as the Colombian government receives notification that the children are approved, they will issue us a Travel Date for our "Presentation" meeting where we will meet the children and they will be placed with us.
9.This is when the airline tickets need to be bought, packing and repacking happens, and Brent and I have to go to the Colombian Consulate in Washington DC to get special visas that allow us to legally have custody of the children before the adoption is final.
10. Then we TRAVEL! We will have a 10 day bonding time with the kids. At the end we will have an interview with the ICBF social workers where they assure that all is a good match. Then our paperwork is submitted to court. The time that it takes for the court to finalize the adoption (called Sentencia) is anyone's guess. Average time is 3-4 weeks. So we'll see. After Sentencia, we will fly to Bogota where we will get the children's visas and passports so we can travel HOME!
11. Then we begin the "new normal" as a family of NINE!
***************************************************
Prayer Requests
Writing it all out looks like it will take a LONG time, but our social worker is still saying we should be prepared to travel in February or early March. That would be awesome!
We still have a TON of stuff to do, especially get bedrooms painted and organized, and raise enough money to cover our travel costs (which could be near $20,000). But, God is in control and He will provide! We are so excited to see Him work! This whole process has been such a step of faith and He has not disappointed us in anything.
Here are our specific things we are petitioning the Lord for right now. We would be most grateful and humbled if you would storm the gates of heaven on our behalf.
Please pray that God would provide the money needed to travel. We believe He is able and excited to let us see Him provide.
Please pray that our paperwork will sail through each step smoothly and quickly and that we will have patience as we sit and wait for news.
Please pray that there will be no devastating surprises with the children's referral paperwork. That God would give us wisdom as we make the final decision to say "yes" to these little ones.
Also, please pray for our little chicos. Their world is going to be turned completely upside down in a few short weeks. Everything that is familiar and normal to them is going to change. My heart aches as I imagine how confusing and difficult this all will be for them.
New language, new parents, new siblings, new house, new food, new bed, new culture, new toys, new friends, new land, new rules, new everything. It will all be overwhelming. They may grieve for a long time over all they have lost.
Pray that God will give them peace that surpasses their circumstances and their understanding. No matter how loving and gentle we can be with them through the trauma of adoption, it is only God in His mercy that can help them heal and trust.
Pray for Caitlin, Grant, Jake and Quinn as they learn how to love in a way they have never had to before. Give them patience and longsuffering as they bear with all the changes that this adoption will bring. Pray that they will grow in Christ's likeness because of it.
Pray that we will be a witness to those we come in contact with here in the US and also in Colombia. Pray that we will be BOLD for Christ and that we would never dishonor His name because of our own selfishness.
We love each of you and thank you for all the encouragement you are to us.
Approval Process (If any of you veteran adoptive parents are reading this and find something inaccurate, please correct me! I'm still a newbie!)
1. Our dossier is sent to the translators. Then our agency double checks everything.
2. Our dossier is taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bogota to check apostilles and get a stamp on it. The unfortunate thing is that only four documents per agency are allowed to be submitted each day. So that means our dossier could take a week or more just to get all the stamps it needs. I was told that ours is the only dossier being processed right now, so hopefully that means a shorter wait.
3. Our dossier is then submitted to the ICBF office in Bogota, the capital. There it will be approved that we are indeed allowed to adopt in Colombia. From what I hear, there is a particular woman in the office that sometimes pulls the dossiers of people who are adopting older or sibling groups in order to make the process go faster. We're praying that she will pull ours and get it moving.
4. The ICBF office in Bogota will then send our dosser to Medellin, where our chicos live. There, they will review the homestudy and psychological and other documents to be sure we are a good match for these particular children. We already sent a Letter of Intent back when we were matched with them, which essentially puts those children "on hold" for us. No other family is allowed to view their file when they are "on hold".
5. If the ICBF sees that we are all a good match, they will issue a formal referral to our agency for us. A referral is where we will receive updated pictures, medical records, a biopsychosocial report and any other info important to them.
6. We will review the updated referral information and if we decide to proceed with the adoption we will send a letter of acceptance and a care package for the children. The social workers in Colombia will start the transition process with the children, explaining to them what is going to happen.
7. At the same time, we will send all the children's paperwork, along with the I800 immigration forms to USCIS, where they will review and issue a visa for our children to become US citizens once the adoption is finalized. This is called an article 5 letter, I think.
8. As soon as the Colombian government receives notification that the children are approved, they will issue us a Travel Date for our "Presentation" meeting where we will meet the children and they will be placed with us.
9.This is when the airline tickets need to be bought, packing and repacking happens, and Brent and I have to go to the Colombian Consulate in Washington DC to get special visas that allow us to legally have custody of the children before the adoption is final.
10. Then we TRAVEL! We will have a 10 day bonding time with the kids. At the end we will have an interview with the ICBF social workers where they assure that all is a good match. Then our paperwork is submitted to court. The time that it takes for the court to finalize the adoption (called Sentencia) is anyone's guess. Average time is 3-4 weeks. So we'll see. After Sentencia, we will fly to Bogota where we will get the children's visas and passports so we can travel HOME!
11. Then we begin the "new normal" as a family of NINE!
***************************************************
Prayer Requests
Writing it all out looks like it will take a LONG time, but our social worker is still saying we should be prepared to travel in February or early March. That would be awesome!
We still have a TON of stuff to do, especially get bedrooms painted and organized, and raise enough money to cover our travel costs (which could be near $20,000). But, God is in control and He will provide! We are so excited to see Him work! This whole process has been such a step of faith and He has not disappointed us in anything.
Here are our specific things we are petitioning the Lord for right now. We would be most grateful and humbled if you would storm the gates of heaven on our behalf.
Please pray that God would provide the money needed to travel. We believe He is able and excited to let us see Him provide.
Please pray that our paperwork will sail through each step smoothly and quickly and that we will have patience as we sit and wait for news.
Please pray that there will be no devastating surprises with the children's referral paperwork. That God would give us wisdom as we make the final decision to say "yes" to these little ones.
Also, please pray for our little chicos. Their world is going to be turned completely upside down in a few short weeks. Everything that is familiar and normal to them is going to change. My heart aches as I imagine how confusing and difficult this all will be for them.
New language, new parents, new siblings, new house, new food, new bed, new culture, new toys, new friends, new land, new rules, new everything. It will all be overwhelming. They may grieve for a long time over all they have lost.
Pray that God will give them peace that surpasses their circumstances and their understanding. No matter how loving and gentle we can be with them through the trauma of adoption, it is only God in His mercy that can help them heal and trust.
Pray for Caitlin, Grant, Jake and Quinn as they learn how to love in a way they have never had to before. Give them patience and longsuffering as they bear with all the changes that this adoption will bring. Pray that they will grow in Christ's likeness because of it.
Pray that we will be a witness to those we come in contact with here in the US and also in Colombia. Pray that we will be BOLD for Christ and that we would never dishonor His name because of our own selfishness.
We love each of you and thank you for all the encouragement you are to us.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Translations!
I just got an email from our agency saying our dossier is already on its way to Colombia for translations!!! Yay!
We are still missing our FBI apostilles, but they should be here by the time translations are done. I hope! Everyone pray that the Sec. of State in D.C. gets them done fast!
We would love to have our formal referral before Christmas! I wanna go shopping!!!!LOL!
We are still missing our FBI apostilles, but they should be here by the time translations are done. I hope! Everyone pray that the Sec. of State in D.C. gets them done fast!
We would love to have our formal referral before Christmas! I wanna go shopping!!!!LOL!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Immigration Approval is Here!
Yesterday afternoon we got our I800A approval in the mail. We were already approved through our Mexico process, so all we needed was a "change of country" update. Thankfully, we didn't need new biometrics (fancy name for fingerprints!) done again.
In the evening, I got a surprise phone call from Raul, Gladney's Program Manager from Tampa. He has our dossier with our updated immigration approval. Now the only thing we're waiting on are our FBI apostilles which we had to mail separately. He did say that if we hadn't received our apostilles by Thursday, he'd go ahead and mail our dossier off to Colombia to start translations on what we do have. I'm praying that these apostilles come right away and don't slow our timeline down too much.
I did enjoy chatting with him (with his thick Colombian accent!) for about 45 minutes. He definitely suggested that we stay in an apartment as opposed to the Intercontinental hotel. We had been leaning that direction because the cost is significantly lower and we'd have more space, BUT it means I need to grocery shop and cook in Colombia. That has been striking fear into me! I have a hard enough time shopping and cooking in the US! I am really nervous about doing it in a foreign country with different foods and in Spanish! He set my mind at ease, and reassured me that it will not be difficult. The stores in Medellin are very Americanized and have plenty of choices! So I'm feeling a ton better about the food and lodging issues.
He even said he'd try to find us a 3 bedroom apartment that has a pool and gym in the complex! I would LOVE that, since keeping 7 kids entertained for a month or more may become difficult without easy diversions. I don't really see us doing a ton of sightseeing (bummer) mainly due to there being NINE of us that we'd have to figure out transportation for to go anywhere. And after seeing pictures of their Taxis- it ain't gonna happen! They are pretty small!
We'll be doing a lot of walking, I'm sure. Thankfully, Raul said he'd find us a place in a very touristy area- and mentioned El Poblado. It is near shopping malls, restaurants, parks, etc. and is a wealthy area of town.
Now that we have a better idea on what kind of accomodations we will be in, it is easier to figure out how much money we'll still need for our in country costs. This has been so frustrating since the costs vary widely between an apartment and staying in a Presidential Suite in the Intercontinental Hotel! We're talking hundreds of dollars a day difference!
He's still saying that we could be traveling in late January, although it is possible it might be as late as mid February since only half of the ICBF staff comes in during the month of December and things could take longer.
In the evening, I got a surprise phone call from Raul, Gladney's Program Manager from Tampa. He has our dossier with our updated immigration approval. Now the only thing we're waiting on are our FBI apostilles which we had to mail separately. He did say that if we hadn't received our apostilles by Thursday, he'd go ahead and mail our dossier off to Colombia to start translations on what we do have. I'm praying that these apostilles come right away and don't slow our timeline down too much.
I did enjoy chatting with him (with his thick Colombian accent!) for about 45 minutes. He definitely suggested that we stay in an apartment as opposed to the Intercontinental hotel. We had been leaning that direction because the cost is significantly lower and we'd have more space, BUT it means I need to grocery shop and cook in Colombia. That has been striking fear into me! I have a hard enough time shopping and cooking in the US! I am really nervous about doing it in a foreign country with different foods and in Spanish! He set my mind at ease, and reassured me that it will not be difficult. The stores in Medellin are very Americanized and have plenty of choices! So I'm feeling a ton better about the food and lodging issues.
He even said he'd try to find us a 3 bedroom apartment that has a pool and gym in the complex! I would LOVE that, since keeping 7 kids entertained for a month or more may become difficult without easy diversions. I don't really see us doing a ton of sightseeing (bummer) mainly due to there being NINE of us that we'd have to figure out transportation for to go anywhere. And after seeing pictures of their Taxis- it ain't gonna happen! They are pretty small!
We'll be doing a lot of walking, I'm sure. Thankfully, Raul said he'd find us a place in a very touristy area- and mentioned El Poblado. It is near shopping malls, restaurants, parks, etc. and is a wealthy area of town.
Now that we have a better idea on what kind of accomodations we will be in, it is easier to figure out how much money we'll still need for our in country costs. This has been so frustrating since the costs vary widely between an apartment and staying in a Presidential Suite in the Intercontinental Hotel! We're talking hundreds of dollars a day difference!
He's still saying that we could be traveling in late January, although it is possible it might be as late as mid February since only half of the ICBF staff comes in during the month of December and things could take longer.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Shopping Anyone?
I just wanted to give a reminder to all you Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or just plain Christmas shoppers!
I have been signed up as an Amazon Affiliate for the past year.
This means that if you click on our Amazon Search link on the right hand side of my blog and purchase your items through that link, we will get a (very) small commission to use towards our adoption!
Hey! It's not a lot, but every little bit helps!
So please consider whether you would support us in this painless way! Thanks so much!
I have been signed up as an Amazon Affiliate for the past year.
This means that if you click on our Amazon Search link on the right hand side of my blog and purchase your items through that link, we will get a (very) small commission to use towards our adoption!
Hey! It's not a lot, but every little bit helps!
So please consider whether you would support us in this painless way! Thanks so much!
Happy Thanksgiving
This year, our day is going to be quieter than usual. We usually celebrate at my mother in law's but scheduling demanded that we move our giant family gathering to Saturday. So today we are having a quiet day as a family. Actually, it won't be totally quiet, since my sister and brother in law and their 4 children will be joining us for dinner. (It's comical to me that I consider 6 more people a quiet family gathering. Compared to the number of people at my mother in law's house on thanksgiving, today is NOTHING!LOL I love every minute of the chaos, though!)
Anyway, the relative quietness is allowing some thoughts to swirl around in my mind, so I'll share them with you...
As I lugged bags of groceries in the house last night....I thought about how many children have never even been to a grocery store.
As I hulled the 19 pound turkey from the fridge and began the roaster... I thought about the children who will rejoice because they found some rotten food scraps in a dumpster.
As I peeled potatos and listened to the radio playing worship music... I thought about the little ones who have never heard the words of grace and truth for which they may give thanks to their Creator.
As I smelled the pumpkin pie baking and turkey roasting....I thought about the smells that the least of these must inhale as they play in the ghetto streets.
As I set the table with my best linens and dishes, ready for loved ones to enjoy.... I thought about the loneliness of the orphan and widow and whispered prayers of comfort for our "almost" children in Mexico and the ones yet to join us in Colombia.
As I swept the floor, again, sliding a few hidden toys from beneath the sofa... I thought about grace, and how God continually cleanses me from the dirt I keep piling up in my heart.
As my daughter fooled around playing songs of thanksgiving on the piano... I thought of how I live a life of ease and blessing and even in my gratitude, I wrestle with whether this is right.
As I listen to a preacher on the radio speak of the gospel... I think about Christians in far away places that are being beaten right now because of their unwavering faith in Christ.
As I take a minute to glance at a few sale ads for tomorrow....I think about how we keep trying to find happiness in all the wrong places. Christ is the only one who will satisfy.
As I tidy the bookshelf that is a disorderly mess of Sunday School papers, scattered Bibles, and church bulletins.... I think about the Christians who are reading God's words on scraps of smuggled paper in order not to be caught.
I am so thankful for this quiet morning where God invaded my thoughts amidst the holiday preparations. How can I not praise Him?
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Anyway, the relative quietness is allowing some thoughts to swirl around in my mind, so I'll share them with you...
As I lugged bags of groceries in the house last night....I thought about how many children have never even been to a grocery store.
As I hulled the 19 pound turkey from the fridge and began the roaster... I thought about the children who will rejoice because they found some rotten food scraps in a dumpster.
As I peeled potatos and listened to the radio playing worship music... I thought about the little ones who have never heard the words of grace and truth for which they may give thanks to their Creator.
As I smelled the pumpkin pie baking and turkey roasting....I thought about the smells that the least of these must inhale as they play in the ghetto streets.
As I set the table with my best linens and dishes, ready for loved ones to enjoy.... I thought about the loneliness of the orphan and widow and whispered prayers of comfort for our "almost" children in Mexico and the ones yet to join us in Colombia.
As I swept the floor, again, sliding a few hidden toys from beneath the sofa... I thought about grace, and how God continually cleanses me from the dirt I keep piling up in my heart.
As my daughter fooled around playing songs of thanksgiving on the piano... I thought of how I live a life of ease and blessing and even in my gratitude, I wrestle with whether this is right.
As I listen to a preacher on the radio speak of the gospel... I think about Christians in far away places that are being beaten right now because of their unwavering faith in Christ.
As I take a minute to glance at a few sale ads for tomorrow....I think about how we keep trying to find happiness in all the wrong places. Christ is the only one who will satisfy.
As I tidy the bookshelf that is a disorderly mess of Sunday School papers, scattered Bibles, and church bulletins.... I think about the Christians who are reading God's words on scraps of smuggled paper in order not to be caught.
I am so thankful for this quiet morning where God invaded my thoughts amidst the holiday preparations. How can I not praise Him?
Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Signatures, Weddings, and Tears
This past Tuesday was one of the craziest days we have had through this whole adoption process. It's a hysterical story (at least for us), but it's a LONG story. So bear with me....(I apologize in advance for the inconsistent verb tenses. I wrote this over many days so they changed and it's too much to fix right now!)
Our social worker at our agency is leaving for her belated honeymoon on Monday. She'll be gone for two weeks, which means we really wanted to get our whole dossier to her before then so she can get them sent to Colombia to start the translation process. In order to do that we needed to get all the final touches on our documents no later than Tuesday.
8:30am- We were expecting to receive our homestudy in the mail by 8:30am. Our goal was to grab the package and immediately get on the road to go get all our authentications and apostilles.
Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with the adoption process, let me explain. Each document we have has to be notorized. In order to prove that the notary is a true notary, we need to go to the circuit court in the county where that notary was commissioned to receive another stamp. This is called an authentication. (Note: Not all states require this step! Maryland does, though.) Our documents were notarized by people in Harford County, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County, so we knew we'd have to get to 3 counties that day! Then, after we get all the authentications, we go to the Secretary of State building in Annapolis to get the shiny gold stickers called apostilles. These prove that the authentications are legitimate. (Can we say "RED TAPE"!)
11:50am- Ok, back to the story. We were very IMPATIENTLY waiting for the package that was supposed to be there in the early morning. BUT, the package didn't end up coming until 11:50am. Not much time to drive to 3 counties and 4 office buildings by 4pm. (Actually, you have to submit all the documents by 3:30 in order for them to be finished by 4pm.) So, we raced out the door, dropped the kids off at my mother in laws and headed to the county court house.
12:45-Brent dropped me off while he found parking. I needed one last notary so I ran into the bank on the same street. I asked if they had a notary, but, of course, she said no. I asked if she knew of anyplace nearby that did and she recommended the old pharmacy on Main Street.
Out I ran, through the rain, to find the pharmacy. I found a pharmacy that looked like it hadn't seen anything modern since 1950. The elderly lady clerk was finishing with a customer and there was another customer behind her. Since I was in a huge time crunch, I discreetly asked if she had a notary at the pharmacy. She very rudely responded, "Well, I am, but I can't be bothered with that right now! You'll have to find someone else." My heart sunk, but, I was not going to go down without a fight! LOL!
I pulled out the desperate, pleading voice and begged her to do it anyway. The customer in front of me (an angel) said, "Oh, honey, you go ahead of me. All these working moms, trying to get all their things done on their lunch break..." I could've kissed her! I told her, "Actually, I'm not a working mom, but we are adopting 3 children and I have to drive to three counties by 3:30 and I can't do any of it without getting a notary."
Well, let me just tell you- that worked! The rude lady behind the counter softened and snapped to it!
Out I raced, over one street and into the court building to get the notaries. Thankfully, having done this all before, I knew exactly where to go and didn't have to waste time looking at the signs. I got 5 authentications, and then we were off- racing over to Baltimore County.
1:45pm- Last time, Baltimore Co. was the place that gave me a hard time on the phone about how picky they are about their requirements. So I was a little nervous that things may not go so smoothly. Brent pulled up, I jumped out while he circled the block to look for a metered parking space out front. I literally ran through the building, handed the lady my papers, she looked at them for less than two seconds, slapped some stickers on, and I raced back out! I think I was in the building less than 4 minutes! Brent hadn't even had time to get out of the car to put quarters in the meter!
So, since everything was moving so smoothly, we felt confident that all would be fine. We both hadn't had any lunch and the gas tank was dangerously low, but we both felt like we should press on to the last stop and just get it done.
2:30- We arrived at the circle of office buildings in Annapolis. Brent dropped me off at the circuit court building while he found a parking place. I raced in, and handed the last two papers to the lady there.
That's when the day really got crazy. She couldn't find either of the notary people in the system! What? How could that be?
Finally, she found the one. She had been spelling the name wrong. But, the one from our Psychological Report was not in the database anywhere. And, to top it off, the embossed seal was not pressed through the paper enough so it didn't show all the information very well. (Our psych. report was the one that we had problems with last time. AND, it was a different notary! Sheesh! The doc needs a new notary!)
After what seemed like hours, she finally determined that even though the notary had written Anne Arundel County, he was actually licensed in Queen Anne's County. Oh, my goodness. I cannot even tell you how crushed I was. I couldn't even think straight! What in the world could we do? Even if we did drive to QA County, the paperwork was written wrong! She said the only option was to get our paperwork rewritten, signed and notarized again. I left, very close to tears, only to meet Brent at the door and tell him the disappointing news.
Yet, still we were not going down without a fight! LOL!
When we got to the car, I called the Psychologists office and spoke to his secretary. She was super sweet and apologetic. Thankfully, he was only a 10 minute drive away and the doc hadn't gone home yet! He was ready to walk out the door, but he said this was more important. We really liked this grandfatherly old man, he just picks lousy notaries! His secretary was printing up 4 unsigned copies and we would run down the end of the strip mall to a real estate agent office and get someone to notarize them. Great!
2:50pm. We, of course, hit every stinkin' red light along the way, hit rain, traffic, and, yes, even a funeral procession! At this point, what else could we do but laugh? Once we arrived, we raced down to the real estate office for the notary. But, of course, the guy had left for lunch!
Then the secretary suggested going through the intersection to the other strip mall across the street to a mortgage company. I asked the doctor if he wouldn't mind just hopping into our car. So we "tossed" the 70 yr old doc in the backseat. Just as we pulled into the parking space, he got a call from his secretary saying the notary was in the middle of a house closing and wasn't available! Arg!
Then, we drove a little further and I ran into a Nationwide office and asked for a notary. Nope!
This was getting crazy and we were getting a little slap happy. We're trying to act calm in front of the doctor. After all, he knew Brent's history and we didn't want him to change his mind about us! LOL!
Back to his same strip mall at the suggestion of another real estate office. The doc and I both hopped out, knowing for sure they'd have to have one! Nope! Are there no notaries in this town???
One more suggestion- the Bank of America a few blocks down. Ok. we navigate through rain and traffic and too many red lights again, watching the clock and listening to the doctor ask, "Now, what time do you need to be back to Annapolis?" As if the 10th time he asks it might actually be different!
FINALLY, there is a notary at the bank! The doctor signs, then she does her seal on each page. Then I watch in horror as I notice she has signed two of the documents with only her initials! AAAAHHHH! I don't want to be rude, but I have to stop her. "Oh, excuse me, I'm sure this is how you always sign it, but do you mind signing your full name just as it's written on the seal?" She assures me she has notarized hundreds of documents with just her initials, and it's always been fine. Sigh. But, thankfully, after I insist, she humors me and signs the last two documents with her full name.
It's 3:15. We race back out, drop the doctor off and head back to Annapolis. In the car we laugh at how crazy the last hour has been and relive driving our psychologist around in the back seat of the car. (I know, it probably isn't funny to you all, but at that point, I'm glad we were laughing and not crying, so it was hysterical!)
We rehearse our plan... Brent will slow the car down to a safe enough speed for me to jump out in front of the court house. I will get the authentication on the psych report. He will park and race into the Sec. of State office so he is at least signed in by 3:30 with all the rest of the documents. He will then beg the lady in there to be patient until I arrive! I will RUN two blocks to the Sec. of State office with the last document. We feel hopeful and giddy that this might actually work!
3:25pm- Brent slows, I jump, Brent continues on and almost crashes a police cruiser! I literally run into the building, throw my stuff through the metal detector and run into the office. I go to the same lady that I had an hour ago and tell her we got a new notary. She takes a look at the document and sighs. Then she gets up and goes and talks to her boss at the other end of the room. As I stand there, I notice that the boss is in the process of officiating a wedding ceremony. There's all kinds of joy and hoopla happening 10 feet away!
The lady walks back to me with a downcast look on her face. "What's wrong?" I ask her. She says that she can't accept this document either. The signature doesn't match the signature they have on file! I say, "No! It's ok! I have another signature! LOL!" And I hand her the one with the initials. She says no to the initials. They are very wrong. Initials aren't allowed. I ask to see the original signature. For cryin' out loud! You can definitely tell it's her signature- but she has an extra loop!
And this, my friends, is where I lost it. Out came the TEARS. After a completely stressful day (month, year) I couldn't hold back any more. The tears flowed all while the couple at the end of the room got married! They probably thought I was just sentimental! The poor lady. I knew she felt bad and was regretting making a big deal out of a loop!
I told her that I didn't know what to do. How could I go back to the same notary and tell her that her signature wasn't her signature? When it was! It just didn't match a little index card she had signed 5 years before. After all we had been through, how could I ask the doctor to do it all over again? And now I wouldn't be able to get our paperwork in on time.
The lady just stared at the documents for probably 5 minutes while I cried quietly. Then she put her finger to her mouth and whispered, "I"m just gonna do it. If I ask my boss again, she'll just say no, but this signature is perfectly fine and she's just difficult."
Bless this dear, sweet woman! She quietly pulled out her paperwork and typed up the authentication. I didn't speak, but mouthed "Thank you" over and over again!
It costs $1 and as I went to pay, I told her all I had was a $20. Her face fell. It was then that I realized that the cash register was at her boss' desk if she needed to get change. "Can I write a check?" She smiled with relief! So I wrote that check for $1 and sped out of the office without making eye contact with the boss! I am so thankful for that lady who got it done! I hope she doesn't get in trouble!
3:40- Just for the record, I am completely out of shape. I learned this all too easily as I ran, as fast as my legs could go, in the rain, under the construction scaffolding, two blocks over and down one block to the Sec. of State building. I just KNEW I was going to slip since it was so slick, but I didn't! I made it to the office just as the worker there was finishing our documents. I, breathlessly, handed her the last one, and thirty seconds later we walked out.
3:50- I am in awe. It is ONLY by the grace of God that we accomplished what we did. We left in shock that we actually did it. We are exhausted mentally, physically (me from running!), and emotionally. And a little lightheaded since neither of us had eaten all day!
If you have made it through this epic-sized post, I am impressed. It has taken me FOREVER to write it. I'm afraid it is a bit boring to everyone else, but I wanted to remember the details for our chicos when we tell them how God moved mountains (or in this case, signatures) in order to bring them home. Unfortunately, in all the chaos, I didn't take a picture of our stack of documents like I'd wanted to. Oh, well.
So, our dossier is on it's way for translations and will be submitted to the ICBF as soon as our immigration approval comes back. Progress....!!!!
Our social worker at our agency is leaving for her belated honeymoon on Monday. She'll be gone for two weeks, which means we really wanted to get our whole dossier to her before then so she can get them sent to Colombia to start the translation process. In order to do that we needed to get all the final touches on our documents no later than Tuesday.
8:30am- We were expecting to receive our homestudy in the mail by 8:30am. Our goal was to grab the package and immediately get on the road to go get all our authentications and apostilles.
Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with the adoption process, let me explain. Each document we have has to be notorized. In order to prove that the notary is a true notary, we need to go to the circuit court in the county where that notary was commissioned to receive another stamp. This is called an authentication. (Note: Not all states require this step! Maryland does, though.) Our documents were notarized by people in Harford County, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County, so we knew we'd have to get to 3 counties that day! Then, after we get all the authentications, we go to the Secretary of State building in Annapolis to get the shiny gold stickers called apostilles. These prove that the authentications are legitimate. (Can we say "RED TAPE"!)
11:50am- Ok, back to the story. We were very IMPATIENTLY waiting for the package that was supposed to be there in the early morning. BUT, the package didn't end up coming until 11:50am. Not much time to drive to 3 counties and 4 office buildings by 4pm. (Actually, you have to submit all the documents by 3:30 in order for them to be finished by 4pm.) So, we raced out the door, dropped the kids off at my mother in laws and headed to the county court house.
12:45-Brent dropped me off while he found parking. I needed one last notary so I ran into the bank on the same street. I asked if they had a notary, but, of course, she said no. I asked if she knew of anyplace nearby that did and she recommended the old pharmacy on Main Street.
Out I ran, through the rain, to find the pharmacy. I found a pharmacy that looked like it hadn't seen anything modern since 1950. The elderly lady clerk was finishing with a customer and there was another customer behind her. Since I was in a huge time crunch, I discreetly asked if she had a notary at the pharmacy. She very rudely responded, "Well, I am, but I can't be bothered with that right now! You'll have to find someone else." My heart sunk, but, I was not going to go down without a fight! LOL!
I pulled out the desperate, pleading voice and begged her to do it anyway. The customer in front of me (an angel) said, "Oh, honey, you go ahead of me. All these working moms, trying to get all their things done on their lunch break..." I could've kissed her! I told her, "Actually, I'm not a working mom, but we are adopting 3 children and I have to drive to three counties by 3:30 and I can't do any of it without getting a notary."
Well, let me just tell you- that worked! The rude lady behind the counter softened and snapped to it!
Out I raced, over one street and into the court building to get the notaries. Thankfully, having done this all before, I knew exactly where to go and didn't have to waste time looking at the signs. I got 5 authentications, and then we were off- racing over to Baltimore County.
1:45pm- Last time, Baltimore Co. was the place that gave me a hard time on the phone about how picky they are about their requirements. So I was a little nervous that things may not go so smoothly. Brent pulled up, I jumped out while he circled the block to look for a metered parking space out front. I literally ran through the building, handed the lady my papers, she looked at them for less than two seconds, slapped some stickers on, and I raced back out! I think I was in the building less than 4 minutes! Brent hadn't even had time to get out of the car to put quarters in the meter!
So, since everything was moving so smoothly, we felt confident that all would be fine. We both hadn't had any lunch and the gas tank was dangerously low, but we both felt like we should press on to the last stop and just get it done.
2:30- We arrived at the circle of office buildings in Annapolis. Brent dropped me off at the circuit court building while he found a parking place. I raced in, and handed the last two papers to the lady there.
That's when the day really got crazy. She couldn't find either of the notary people in the system! What? How could that be?
Finally, she found the one. She had been spelling the name wrong. But, the one from our Psychological Report was not in the database anywhere. And, to top it off, the embossed seal was not pressed through the paper enough so it didn't show all the information very well. (Our psych. report was the one that we had problems with last time. AND, it was a different notary! Sheesh! The doc needs a new notary!)
After what seemed like hours, she finally determined that even though the notary had written Anne Arundel County, he was actually licensed in Queen Anne's County. Oh, my goodness. I cannot even tell you how crushed I was. I couldn't even think straight! What in the world could we do? Even if we did drive to QA County, the paperwork was written wrong! She said the only option was to get our paperwork rewritten, signed and notarized again. I left, very close to tears, only to meet Brent at the door and tell him the disappointing news.
Yet, still we were not going down without a fight! LOL!
When we got to the car, I called the Psychologists office and spoke to his secretary. She was super sweet and apologetic. Thankfully, he was only a 10 minute drive away and the doc hadn't gone home yet! He was ready to walk out the door, but he said this was more important. We really liked this grandfatherly old man, he just picks lousy notaries! His secretary was printing up 4 unsigned copies and we would run down the end of the strip mall to a real estate agent office and get someone to notarize them. Great!
2:50pm. We, of course, hit every stinkin' red light along the way, hit rain, traffic, and, yes, even a funeral procession! At this point, what else could we do but laugh? Once we arrived, we raced down to the real estate office for the notary. But, of course, the guy had left for lunch!
Then the secretary suggested going through the intersection to the other strip mall across the street to a mortgage company. I asked the doctor if he wouldn't mind just hopping into our car. So we "tossed" the 70 yr old doc in the backseat. Just as we pulled into the parking space, he got a call from his secretary saying the notary was in the middle of a house closing and wasn't available! Arg!
Then, we drove a little further and I ran into a Nationwide office and asked for a notary. Nope!
This was getting crazy and we were getting a little slap happy. We're trying to act calm in front of the doctor. After all, he knew Brent's history and we didn't want him to change his mind about us! LOL!
Back to his same strip mall at the suggestion of another real estate office. The doc and I both hopped out, knowing for sure they'd have to have one! Nope! Are there no notaries in this town???
One more suggestion- the Bank of America a few blocks down. Ok. we navigate through rain and traffic and too many red lights again, watching the clock and listening to the doctor ask, "Now, what time do you need to be back to Annapolis?" As if the 10th time he asks it might actually be different!
FINALLY, there is a notary at the bank! The doctor signs, then she does her seal on each page. Then I watch in horror as I notice she has signed two of the documents with only her initials! AAAAHHHH! I don't want to be rude, but I have to stop her. "Oh, excuse me, I'm sure this is how you always sign it, but do you mind signing your full name just as it's written on the seal?" She assures me she has notarized hundreds of documents with just her initials, and it's always been fine. Sigh. But, thankfully, after I insist, she humors me and signs the last two documents with her full name.
It's 3:15. We race back out, drop the doctor off and head back to Annapolis. In the car we laugh at how crazy the last hour has been and relive driving our psychologist around in the back seat of the car. (I know, it probably isn't funny to you all, but at that point, I'm glad we were laughing and not crying, so it was hysterical!)
We rehearse our plan... Brent will slow the car down to a safe enough speed for me to jump out in front of the court house. I will get the authentication on the psych report. He will park and race into the Sec. of State office so he is at least signed in by 3:30 with all the rest of the documents. He will then beg the lady in there to be patient until I arrive! I will RUN two blocks to the Sec. of State office with the last document. We feel hopeful and giddy that this might actually work!
3:25pm- Brent slows, I jump, Brent continues on and almost crashes a police cruiser! I literally run into the building, throw my stuff through the metal detector and run into the office. I go to the same lady that I had an hour ago and tell her we got a new notary. She takes a look at the document and sighs. Then she gets up and goes and talks to her boss at the other end of the room. As I stand there, I notice that the boss is in the process of officiating a wedding ceremony. There's all kinds of joy and hoopla happening 10 feet away!
The lady walks back to me with a downcast look on her face. "What's wrong?" I ask her. She says that she can't accept this document either. The signature doesn't match the signature they have on file! I say, "No! It's ok! I have another signature! LOL!" And I hand her the one with the initials. She says no to the initials. They are very wrong. Initials aren't allowed. I ask to see the original signature. For cryin' out loud! You can definitely tell it's her signature- but she has an extra loop!
And this, my friends, is where I lost it. Out came the TEARS. After a completely stressful day (month, year) I couldn't hold back any more. The tears flowed all while the couple at the end of the room got married! They probably thought I was just sentimental! The poor lady. I knew she felt bad and was regretting making a big deal out of a loop!
I told her that I didn't know what to do. How could I go back to the same notary and tell her that her signature wasn't her signature? When it was! It just didn't match a little index card she had signed 5 years before. After all we had been through, how could I ask the doctor to do it all over again? And now I wouldn't be able to get our paperwork in on time.
The lady just stared at the documents for probably 5 minutes while I cried quietly. Then she put her finger to her mouth and whispered, "I"m just gonna do it. If I ask my boss again, she'll just say no, but this signature is perfectly fine and she's just difficult."
Bless this dear, sweet woman! She quietly pulled out her paperwork and typed up the authentication. I didn't speak, but mouthed "Thank you" over and over again!
It costs $1 and as I went to pay, I told her all I had was a $20. Her face fell. It was then that I realized that the cash register was at her boss' desk if she needed to get change. "Can I write a check?" She smiled with relief! So I wrote that check for $1 and sped out of the office without making eye contact with the boss! I am so thankful for that lady who got it done! I hope she doesn't get in trouble!
3:40- Just for the record, I am completely out of shape. I learned this all too easily as I ran, as fast as my legs could go, in the rain, under the construction scaffolding, two blocks over and down one block to the Sec. of State building. I just KNEW I was going to slip since it was so slick, but I didn't! I made it to the office just as the worker there was finishing our documents. I, breathlessly, handed her the last one, and thirty seconds later we walked out.
3:50- I am in awe. It is ONLY by the grace of God that we accomplished what we did. We left in shock that we actually did it. We are exhausted mentally, physically (me from running!), and emotionally. And a little lightheaded since neither of us had eaten all day!
If you have made it through this epic-sized post, I am impressed. It has taken me FOREVER to write it. I'm afraid it is a bit boring to everyone else, but I wanted to remember the details for our chicos when we tell them how God moved mountains (or in this case, signatures) in order to bring them home. Unfortunately, in all the chaos, I didn't take a picture of our stack of documents like I'd wanted to. Oh, well.
So, our dossier is on it's way for translations and will be submitted to the ICBF as soon as our immigration approval comes back. Progress....!!!!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Go Grant!
Our family spent this past weekend with some of our dearest friends. Our husbands worked together before we got married and one day Brent mentioned that I'd really like Brian's wife, Kathy. He described her to me and I immediately thought "We couldn't be more polar opposites if we tried!". Yet, as God would have it, we became super close friends and shared the first few years of our marriages and parenting years doing everything together. They are from Western Maryland but had to move to Harford County for a few years for his job. And, it just so happened they moved onto the same exact street as us after we got married!
It was great. We had impromptu dinner together several times a week, hung out late into the evening, yard saled together, walked each other around the neighborhood while each of us were in labor so we didn't have to call our husbands home from work yet, nursed our babies together (often through tears), caught children's vomit in their bare hands (yes, he's an awesome uncle!), picnicked together, and had many more special moments.
A few years back, (ok, like 11!) they were blessed to go back home to Western MD to their family farm. We have missed them terribly through the years, but each year either they come east for a visit or we head west for some lovin' on them and their kiddos. It is so awesome to have a friendship where you just pick up and go from where you've left off.
The past few years, they have graciously invited Brent and the older boys to come hunt on the farm for deer season. Two years ago, Grant and Jake didn't get anything. But this year was much better!
Jake headed out in the early morning hours and got a shot at an 8 point buck, but just barely missed him. Poor kiddo. He was disappointed, but excited to have actually taken a shot. Meanwhile, Tasha (11)was hunting with her daddy and landed herself a beautiful 6 point buck! Her first buck! Boy was she excited!
Later in the morning, Grant headed out. Kathy and I were chatting away when Grant burst into the room screaming that he got a deer! It was good sized doe and boy was he excited. He said he practically leaped out of his skin! I know he'll hate me for saying it, but he was soooo cute to listen to him explain every detail of the shoot.
Unfortunately, Jake woke up with a fever so we cut our visit a few hours short and didn't go to church with them like we normally do, but headed home. Even though it was a short trip, we still had a fantastic time catching up and having fun. (In fact, we had so much fun, I didn't take any pictures except of Grant's deer!) Sorry!
It was great. We had impromptu dinner together several times a week, hung out late into the evening, yard saled together, walked each other around the neighborhood while each of us were in labor so we didn't have to call our husbands home from work yet, nursed our babies together (often through tears), caught children's vomit in their bare hands (yes, he's an awesome uncle!), picnicked together, and had many more special moments.
A few years back, (ok, like 11!) they were blessed to go back home to Western MD to their family farm. We have missed them terribly through the years, but each year either they come east for a visit or we head west for some lovin' on them and their kiddos. It is so awesome to have a friendship where you just pick up and go from where you've left off.
The past few years, they have graciously invited Brent and the older boys to come hunt on the farm for deer season. Two years ago, Grant and Jake didn't get anything. But this year was much better!
Jake headed out in the early morning hours and got a shot at an 8 point buck, but just barely missed him. Poor kiddo. He was disappointed, but excited to have actually taken a shot. Meanwhile, Tasha (11)was hunting with her daddy and landed herself a beautiful 6 point buck! Her first buck! Boy was she excited!
Later in the morning, Grant headed out. Kathy and I were chatting away when Grant burst into the room screaming that he got a deer! It was good sized doe and boy was he excited. He said he practically leaped out of his skin! I know he'll hate me for saying it, but he was soooo cute to listen to him explain every detail of the shoot.
Unfortunately, Jake woke up with a fever so we cut our visit a few hours short and didn't go to church with them like we normally do, but headed home. Even though it was a short trip, we still had a fantastic time catching up and having fun. (In fact, we had so much fun, I didn't take any pictures except of Grant's deer!) Sorry!
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