OFFICIALLY ON THE WAITING LIST!

Immigration Approval



Well, after checking the mail promptly every day (which is a new thing for me b/c I usually just check it once a week) we finally got something from Homeland Security! It was addressed to my husband so I just assumed that this was his approval and that mine would come on a different day. So since then I have been at the mailbox everyday waiting for mine. Today I stalked the mailman as he was placing everyone's mail in their boxes and grabbed mine as soon as he was done.....and NOTHING! I was pretty furious. So I emailed our agency and asked if it was normal for our approvals to arrive at different times. She explained that there would only be one approval with both of our names on it. Sure enough...it was my approval too! Shows you how much I still don't know about this crazy process! I had to laugh a lot about this.

So what does it mean?

This means that we are officially approved by the federal government to be the adoptive parents of a child from a different country which means we can go on our angency's waiting list to be matched with a little one. The wait time just got moved from 6 months to 12 but that just gives us enough time to read all the books we need to read, learn some Luganda, meet more couples who have adopted or have a connection with Uganda, do some more fundraising, make some more tutus and maybe sell our house! That is a lot of things to do in a years time. At least it is for me.

It finally feels real!

So after all most a year of going through all the interviews, paperwork and fundraisers it finally feelsl like we are expecting our third child! This is a very exciting day for me. I know it will be a long while before we actually get to meet our new addition but it still makes me extremely happy and grateful that we made it this far! I was very nervous starting this process because I have never been great at paperwork. But husband kept encouraging me and reminding me of all the things I have accopmplished just because I wanted to. This may not seem like a big deal to some going through this process but it sure is a big deal to me!

Save, Support, and Swim in Tulle!

Need a tutu and a photography session? Read my friend Becky's blog to see how you can save money on photos and support our adoption. Sweet Becky is also donating a portion of her sales to our cause until we bring our little one home from Uganda. Click here to read more about Becky's offer.

Where we are in this crazy adoption process, the next steps and huge blessings.

Where are we in this process?

Well, I was going to wait to post something really exciting but I thought "this is kind of exciting". At least to us it is. After about 8 months of working on our home study we finally have a state approved home study! This means that our next step is immigration. We have already sent in our I600a so now we wait for USCIS to open up a file for us and send us back a date to go get our federal fingerprints done. Once our fingerprints are done there will be more forms to fill out and send back to USCIS. After that is all done then we wait for another approval. Once we are approved we will finally be on a waiting list to receive a referral of a child. We anticipate that the immigration process will take up to 3 months but then again we will be communicating to the government through the postal service so when I say 3 months I really mean like 5.

Tutu blessings!

Every time I tell someone about my tutu business I usually can't do it with out chuckling a bit. A year ago I would've never guessed that I would have a little business that involved a sewing machine and lots of tulle. I certainly would not have guessed that this would be a fund-raiser for me but with the help of friends, family and facebook these cute poofy balls of tulle became a hit! I still can't believe it when I look at my huge tulle stash and all my ribbon. I never thought I was crafty but sometimes God likes work outside the box and I think that is what He did with me.

I would say the tutu season hit strong right after Halloween. It all started with a friend's persuasion to do a craft fair. The only catch was that the fair was 2 weeks from the time I signed up. I'm not going to lie...I felt a little panicked b/c I knew I would have to make more tutus in the next 2 weeks than I ever thought I would make all year but I had the help of a couple of friends. My friend, Dana, first donated her time to help me make tons of flower clips. Then my other friend, Katie, joined us several evenings to cut tulle, tie tulle and sew around tulle. Did I mention tulle? Not only did these girls give up several nights to come to my house to help me out but they would show up ready to work and had a drink and something yummy for me. With all their help I was ready for the fair! I had my table set up so pretty and was ready for tons of traffic except there was no traffic. I had a total of 4 sales that day which was by far more than any of the other booths so I was trying to put in perspective. The good thing was that I had quite a few tutus made and with the help facebook and word of mouth I was able to sell all most all of them with in the next month.

I can't talk about this tutu craze with out mentioning my most exciting order yet. My niece, Kaiya, is a pretty competitive dancer and is in quite a few dance competitions during the year. This year she is in a trio and for a while she and the other 2 girls in the dance had been telling me that they wanted MY tutus as their costumes. With the approval of their dance coach and of course their moms they all decided on 3 similar but slightly different colors. I have to be honest and say that I was most nervous about this order. After all there are trophies involved here and so I knew I was playing a part in how they would look on stage. After a couple fixes the tutus were finally ready for their first dance competition. The convention was held in Denver and I had the honor of watching them perform for the first time. I must say these girls looked AMAZING! The tutus were so cute but I'm pretty sure these 3 made them look even better. Here is a picture of my very first costumes.

Here are pictures of a few little buyers.

This is sweet Audrey helping me the day of my craft fair.

My littlest buyer so far.

Of course I had to involve my tutus in some of our own family photos. These are my precious girls, Isabel and Adeline. Photos done by Becky http://markandbeckyk.blogspot.com/

Garage Sale Blessing

All I can say is God is too good to us! Kenton and I have been getting ready for our fund-raising garage sale that we finally had last weekend and it paid off. Thanks to the hard work from friends and family who donated, picked up donations for us, helped us sort through piles of boxes, hung clothes on hangers and worked the sale with smiles on their faces. We can't thank them enough for their help. As the sale was coming to an end yesterday, Kenton and I could not wait to count up the cash to see if we could make our next agency payment next week. I laid on the couch in exaustion while Kenton counted. We did it! We ended up $50 over what our next payment is. So, we will send in our next packet and wait on the Lord again.

Update

Well, this is my first blog ever and I am realizing that I'm not very good at blogging. I guess you could say we've been a bit busy. Some of you are wanting an update on our adoption process and would like to know an estimated timeline. So here you go:)

Since I've posted last we have gone to our Colorado required adoption training. This was a 2 day training about all aspects of adoption. We learned about attachment and bonding, domestic adoption, bringing another race and culture into our family, and we even learned how to change a diaper again. The training ended with a panel of birth moms and birth grandmas who had made the decision to give their child to another family. This was the highlight and most emotional part of the training. These brave young girls were able to sit in front of a bunch of married couples and talk about something that was so sensitive to them. My thinking has forever changed about our potential birth mom because of hearing these young ladies speak.

We have officially started our home study! This is so Colorado can approve us to adopt a child. Of our long home study list, we have our fingerprints done, most paper work done, medical exam appointments made, and certified documents ordered.

We have been doing a couple of things to raise money.  First, we have been collecting items for our fund-raising garage sale. Our garage is now so full that we are unable to park our cars in it. We are so grateful for all of the donations that people have given. Second, I have been very busy making tutus. I never expected this craft to take off like it has. God has blessed me with many orders which at times required Kenton's help to cut tulle (don't tell him that I said that). Third, Kenton bought some items from an auction of a bank going under and has been selling the items on Craigslist. So our garage is full, there is tulle all over my house, we sometimes don't feel like we have time to breathe but know that there will be a prize at the end which is what keeps us going.

As far as a time frame for our adoption, we are expecting 18 months to 2 years. Adoption in Uganda is getting more and more popular and I don't think the government was prepared for such interest which is creating some more expected wait time. However, the judges in Uganda have recieved an invitation by our agency to come to Washington D.C to discuss how to make the process go more efficient, ethical, and smooth. The judges accepted, which is just amazing!

 I also ran a 1/2 marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska. I didn't raise any money but it was an awesome experience that forced me to reflect on where God has taken us from and think about the awesome future that He has in store for us. I even got a little emotional at about mile 5 and mile 13 when I thought about how symbolic this run is to our adoption. I know with each stride there will be progress and there will be an end. So, will I do one again? Probably. I kind of liked it.

Thats it for now.

My niece and nephew

Thought I would share a little bit of why my heart melts for adoption. My sister, Heather and her husband Tom, who I owe so much credit to for helping me get to where I am, adopted 2 children from China. Ella was about 18 months old when we got to bring this precious girl into our lives 5 years ago, and Ian was 3 1/2 when they brought this beautiful boy home not quite a year ago. Both are so full of life and we cannot imagine our lives without them. It makes me tear up all the time when I think about the fact that if Tom and Heather wouldn't have had a heart for adoption and followed that heart, that my wonderful niece and nephew could possibly still be orphaned.

After they brought Ella home, Kenton and I talked about how we knew we would do that someday. So, I want to thank my sister and brother-in-law for following their hearts which eventually put a little tug in ours.

 I mean...look at their pictures. Can you imagine them as orphans? I sure can't!

Words of a dear friend

My friend Becky and her husband are in Ethiopia meeting there son who we hope will be able to come home soon. These are her words from her posting today. I just love her heart.

"On Friday, we visited three different orphanages and I haven't stopped thinking about them since.

I'm not going to describe to you the conditions or the smell or the sadness. I really do believe that the caregivers in these homes are doing their very best and I don't want to make it sound like they aren't trying. And honestly, I saw some of the same things within the walls of the orphanages as I did out in the middle of town.

Runny noses, bare feet, and torn clothes are just normal here. These things don't indicate a child's happiness or a reveal family's status. Most children here just don't have much.

But here's what got to me about the children in the orphanages - they think they don't matter.

Within seconds of pulling through the gate at the boys' orphanage the frenzied excitement told us how much they LOVE visitors. And the girls, oh those sweet girls, clung to our waits and held our hands tight as soon as hurried introductions had been made.

Please, listen to my song.
Please, play futbol.
Please, take my photo.
Please, help me read my school lesson and play a hand-clap game with me.

Please. Notice. Me.

At ten or twelve years old, these children are still hopeful. They are thrilled that 15 ferenge came to see them and I do believe that they feel our love - that on some level they know that we care about them.

But one morning, these little girls and boys are going to wake up and say to themselves, "You know what? I. Don't. Matter. What difference does it make whether or not I get an education? Who will care if I disappear? Who will I disappoint if I become a prostitute?"

This realization may come gradually - slowly building in their minds each day - or it may hit like a ton of bricks. Either way, the day a child asks WHO CARES? and the answer is NOBODY is the day that child's life changes for worse.

The main - and perhaps the only - difference between a child living in the orphanage and a child living in a tin or mud home is that the child living in the orphanage has no family. No mother or father, aunt or uncle, grandma or grandpa to say, "I value you. You are important to me."

This difference is HUGE.

Since we've been here, Mark and I have asked each other often, "So, what do we do?"

I've said it before, and I believe it even more now, adoption is not the solution. Many orphans (dare I say most?) are not eligible for adoption and many of the children who I saw on Friday will never, ever experience a family. But somehow, we've got to show these children that they matter - that they are important to someone and that someone cares deeply what happens to them.

Thankfully, I saw evidence all around the orphanages that showed me that other families who have come before me believe this also. Families who met these electric children and said, "You know what? YOU. DO. MATTER."

A library full of books donated to the boys - I value your education.
New computers with internet - I want you to learn about the world.
New playground equipment for the girls - It matters to me that you have fun.
A box of new shoes delivered to the toddlers - I care about your health and safety.

I know these are just things. Material possessions that will one day fade and be destroyed, but they send a message that is so much greater, a message that is perhaps not conveyed to these kids in any other way.

I wish I could hold each of their faces in my hands, look into their eyes, and say, "You are of utmost importance. Learn. Grow. Thrive. Be something."

But I know I can't - so I will continue to support projects that send soccer balls and buy goats and provide school uniforms and will trust that my Heavenly Father will use these gifts to capture children's hearts and enfold them into His family as his very own valuable, precious children."