Homestudy & Family Pics..

Our home study is to be scheduled this month yeah & ney...let's just get this over with...Freddy and I have to freshen up around the house...like the pool fence that is slowly caving in...I need to revamp our photo wall along the stairs, and I need to actually contemplate bunk beds! Also, possibly separating Hope and Noah..Hope likes to sleep in the boys' room because she doesn't like to be alone in her room (who does)...but her room needs a makeover..as she has some of her art work on the wall (literally).

We need a yard sale ASAP also...I'm tired of the clutter.

China requires 3-passports photos each of Freddy and I.

3- 4X5 photos of just Freddy and I...uhmm we need to take these cause we have none without children

8- 4x5 photos of us with our children/family...and my hair must be all the same color in all the photos..I've decided to stop coloring my hair anyway and let the greys and all come out...so here goes!

I've also gained weight..and so has Freddy...China also has weight restrictions.

I still have not received our local police clearances and we have to pick up our doctor's exams Monday...groan.

We are not going to Haiti this month..but we will God willing be starting a community prayer group in our home and we're taking the required classes.

The boys start piano lessons today;)

Still to Do

Hague Documents:

1. Original State marriage certificate is in-now I need to send back to Nevada, for State certification.

2. Employement verification is complete and ready for FL state certification.

3. My unemployment statement is complete.

4. Our financial statement is complete.

5. Our children's physical reports for the homestudy are done.

6. Our biographies for the homestudy are completed and sent off.

7. Our doctor's appointments are today at 2pm-Hope our BMI's don't topple the scale and just wait till he hears about our plans...I look forward to his expression.

8. We did the local backround clearance but they had to mail it back because of the notary not being there (go figure)-but we met someone in line who had tetrology fallot of the heart and I wondered about the possibilites of Faith having that as a need.

9. I still need to photocopy our passports properly

10. We still don't have a homestudy appointment date...most complex process thus far

11. The adoption petition done..that was complicating-because we had to list all the special needs we were open to..and we changed our age range at the last minute to 12 months-48 months-I felt like I already knew our daughter when I was writing about her.

12. We have to also still take pictures of ourselves and our family...not even thinking about it yet...just keep my hair color the same for the next few months

13. I need to turn 30 this month in order to have our dossier registered in China

At times I am afraid of even thinking about the certification process and then the China Consulate approval....I pray God walks me through this because this feels unimaginable to me today.

I also keep trying to find a good time/way to tell Freddy's mother about our adoption plans-but it seems too scary right now...maybe once the dossier is in China?



PSSSSSST: As I look back now...I see that you were born on this day, and I still do not know this yet as I'm writing this...but as I am stressing over papers...you are making your way into mommy and daddy's life. You just turned 2 years old today!

God's voice in a Dream

I had a powerful dream about my grandfather who is very ill right now with cancer. I decided to get on a flight to Canada and see him and tell him about my dream. He is very ill, and he was very weepy-as we spoke in depth about my dream and my prayers he began to weep as he said that is what he has been saying to God for the past few days. He has not made peace with his children from a former marriage and I advised him that it was time to do so. It was very powerful, and God gave me the right words as I had to tell him in Italian...God can cross these barriers...we are back home now and we continue to pray for him and ask that you so as well his name is Geraldo. Please pray that he forgives his children and that his children forgive him and see him before it is too late.

On a lighter note: I have friends who embarked on a Russian adoption and they were led to the wrong agency. I tried telling them that our agency was very good and that they should use our agency Lighthouse-they quickly switched over despite losing money. Then Russia closed their doors...and I was numbed by horror for them. We waited, we prayed..and it seems Russia's doors may remain closed. So I had a dream...and I heard a voice...the voice was very encouraging of our Chinese adoption...and there was going to be something wonderful about it as 'friends were going to join us'.....friends? I quickly told my neighbors as we are all quite close and their were contemplating adoption. It seemed that adoption was in the air...as another neighbor was also contemplating adoption...but they decided domestic was going to be best for them-as special needs is quite scary as well as the travels and the costs. So I thought some more...I wrote a letter to our dear friends who were in pain and sorrow over Russia. I wrote them about my dream...and I wrote to never give up...adoption is God's heart and His plan....when a door shuts 5 more open...as they wanted an Asian girl anyway...I asked what about China guys? What about if you are the friends that will be joining us on our adoption journey? They thought about it, and again we all prayed...and just a few days ago they said they signed an application with CCAI and will be embarking on China! WOW....I can't say enough about this couple...He is a pastor and she is a teacher and pastor's daughter...they have the faith..but I can see God working even further in them. Please pray for this couple couple and their future little girl.

I thank you Lord that you are great and powerful but that you still love us enough to speak to us. God we look forward to our journey and the blessings you have in store for our children.


JAMES 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Cross references:

1. James 1:27 : Mt 25:36
2. James 1:27 : Dt 14:29; Job 31:16, 17, 21; Ps 146:9; Isa 1:17, 23
3. James 1:27 : Ro 12:2; Jas 4:4; 2Pe 1:4; 2:20

A Chinese Dossier

I have not mentioned about the kind of paperwork that is required for China. I know I sound like a broken record-but it can be overwhelming! Not only does it require notarization and state certifications, it also requires to be sent to Houston's China Consulate for sealing! Ahhh, and to make matters worse Freddy and I are both born in different countries, we were married in Nevada and the Chinese consulate for Nevada is San Francisco..Some days I literally tell myself that I can't do this...I can't-not again! Other days I slap some sense into myself and think God you're here with me, this is your will and I will...I will...we can do this.

So far I am still waiting for our original marriage certificate that needs to be resent to Nevada for certification and then sent to San Francisco..all documents of the dossier must be issued within 6 months upon arrival in China. I can't imagine when we will be officially LID. Our home study has not even begun yet, and I feel we are doing so much work-our social worker for Russia spoiled us-groan!

We'll see...I've made some connections via the new adoption agency CCAI. They already have referrals! So that is promising...it seems like everyone in the agency has already been matched! I feel like we're the dummies that can't get our papers together...guess it all makes sense..and its so oh familiar. I can't even believe we did this four years ago...the day we signed the papers January 30th with our social worker-our daughter was born. So I know God has everything worked out. I know He knows I'm clumsy and awkward when it comes to paperwork and order and uhm..organization..hehe.

Not to mention this month Freddy's aunt has been ill and in and out of the hospital as well as my grandfather's failing health in Canada. We probably will be flying to Canada this weekend to pray over him and possibly-say our goodbyes. Freddy and I were also planning to go to Haiti in march..but with the expenses-I think we'll probably just send him. The kids and I are getting ready for exams and have lots of catch up to with school..they are pretty excited about having a bake sale or a lemonade stand to fund raise for the adoption. Some days I am more than others....but I know it will all work out. Please pray for us. And don't be shy, please send me your prayer requests so that we can grow as a community and testify to God's miraculous works in our lives. My husband is much more on board and he has been helping me alot more this adoption with the paperwork-this really warms my heart.

He says that he is looking to see what he can get rid of in his garage to generate money for our adoption (this is where you need to pray for us) as he has quite a collection and quite a mess...if we could rid of it and turn it into funds for Faith that in itself would be multiple miracles;)

I would love to hear from others who are embarking the China special needs IA...as many have their own unique reasons...many say its a calling...many ask us why China? Why Russia? Why not U.S.A.? I almost snapped at a lady who is Christian at our P.E. underground group..but something inside me said "Jeannie-chilax!" Anyway, I don't I'll go into detail with it..but people are different..we all have our minds made up and our ideas...so you can't go barking at the world-we're just human. The spirit of the Lord is patient, kind, forgiving, humble....I try to etch this on my heart and onto my children. Raising the next generation is indeed a delicate matter. Sighhhh.

She cut her own hair!

I didn't post this yesterday-but I guess it was because I had not seen the major chop chop job she had left under the dining room table! The good news is that she isn't bald..and that she had left most of it long..but its kind of layerd in the front..which looks kind of odd...but it will stay like this until grows out I guess;(

Oh the joys of being 4!

I thought this should be written down in her history blog..so that she could look back and smile.

3 Years later

February 11 is the day Hope Isabel was declared our daughter in a Russian courtroom.

Its a date forever in my heart...going through another adoption takes me back to this day in very real  detail.

Mei Mei's name is Faith

With much silence around here, Hope continues to ask us about mei mei. She even embarressed me the other day when I was donating some of her things to-She became hysterical in front of my mother in law and said "no no mama, that's for my mei mei don't give it away"
 I really appreciated her sentiments and her ever growing attachment to mei mei. I was proud of my daughter's heart and concerns; and so I whispered in her ear, that we would go and buy new shoes for her and mei mei. It is very confirming for me on a daily basis-as I ask the Lord frequently, to please confirm this journey for us. I have finally told Hope, that mei mei has a name and  her name is Faith. "Faith mama?" Yes Hopee, its Faith.

I have not written much about Faith as we know so little about her right now. I do know one very powerful thing though, that Faith is already being loved by her big sister. Just recently, we purchased six new stools for our counter. Hope now no longer wants to sit in her highchair-she says that she is a big girl and that is for mei mei. My husband finds her very amusing...but we have not told his side of the family yet about our adoption of mei mei. We do not have an idea of when a good time is....sometimes when you are already a large family, you feel that most people cannot be happy for you and your growing family. I think I feel this way deep down. We have amazing support at church and with my side of the family...but with casual friends, neighbors and yes, even some family members-we feel we are judged for our family building decisions.

I guess this is the other side of blogging about adoption. I am sure some can relate...it would be great to hear from anyone who has advice to share. I have left it to the Lord, and in another sense I feel as thoughI am dodging it. The happiness in my heart is no less than adopting Hope. I am more frequently, starting to think about Faith's face...Faith's life. We are eager to know more...and so may God lead us...and hopefully tie all of us together with happiness to this other little girl who is a mei mei.