Anyone know where June went? I looked down and saw it's been 10 days since I last posted, but I'm sure it hasn't been that long. :)
We thought we were done with our paperwork, but I got a call on Thursday that one of our notaries made a mistake on the notary seal. So we get to fill out our financial paperwork again and get it notarized this weekend.
Besides that, we're really close to being out of the paper chase. If I remember correctly, once we get logged into China, we have a great deal of twiddling our thumbs ahead of us. But let me tell you, I'm having no trouble at all staying busy this time--three kids instead of two will do that for you! I have a long list of projects for the summer too, most of which involve downsizing and simplifying.
First up was my bedroom. I got rid of a bunch of clothes and set aside a few more that need something to complete the outfit (mostly skirts that need a matching top). I know the whole 'capsule wardobe' thing is popular, but I'd rather just keep the clothes I like and make sure all my dress clothes are complete outfits instead of mix and match. Sadly, this will involve some clothes shopping, which ranks far below visiting the dentist in my book.
The next project is a big one, and one that will require multiple weeks to complete: food in our house. I started with cataloging/organizing the pantry and freezer, and making a list of 'random things we should eat because I bought them over a year ago.' Things like a quarter of a bag of orzo (probably from a random recipe) and Belgian Chocolate shells that I bought on super clearance without a purpose. NEVER BY ANYTHING WITHOUT A PURPOSE! That should be my new motto.
At this point, I need to sit down and figure out how I'm going to approach meals right now. David teases me about how I'm constantly trying to figure out an 'easier' way to do meals, yet I'm not willing to really commit to meal planning. I want to be able to make whatever I feel like for dinner, but that's JUST NOT PRACTICAL with three little kids. I think there must be a way to adapt a meal planning system to my tendencies, but at some point, I may have to give up on that dream and just commit. And I really need to figure it out before Little Brother shows up!
(Also on my list: picking a name for Little Brother, so we can stop calling him Little Brother)
Friday, June 19, 2015
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
More progress!
Yesterday, I was surprised to receive an email from our agency asking about our original I-800A approval...which means I wasn't surprised when we received it in the mail today! They got it yesterday, but it has a big "COPY" stamped on it. After we scan that and send it, they will begin the authentication process on all our documents...so we may be LID by July after all! Here is our timeline so far:
March 5: Application sent to AAC, homestudy started
April 5: All documents sent to AAC
May 5: Homestudy completed
May 7: USCIS received I-800A Application
May 19: Fingerprinting appt date received
Jun 3: Fingerprinting appt
June 9: I-800A Approval Notice received
It seems like things are going faster, despite the delays with our homestudy. I keep telling myself that I'm teaching in the fall, and it won't be very easy to travel before I finish my class. I'm not sure what we'd do if our Travel Authorization arrived in October...but best not to borrow trouble. :)
March 5: Application sent to AAC, homestudy started
April 5: All documents sent to AAC
May 5: Homestudy completed
May 7: USCIS received I-800A Application
May 19: Fingerprinting appt date received
Jun 3: Fingerprinting appt
June 9: I-800A Approval Notice received
It seems like things are going faster, despite the delays with our homestudy. I keep telling myself that I'm teaching in the fall, and it won't be very easy to travel before I finish my class. I'm not sure what we'd do if our Travel Authorization arrived in October...but best not to borrow trouble. :)
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
I-800A Progress
My big summer kick-off plans were derailed by a sore throat. I spent yesterday laid out on the couch for most of the day, aside from feeding my children and making sure they didn't trash the house too badly. David gently reminded me (as he does every time) that he's happy to stay home when I'm sick, but it wasn't too bad, and the kids are pretty good about dealing with sick me. I figure, if there's no fever, we can handle it. I just have very low expectations for the day (Pajama day! Indoor picnic! Dora and Diego!).
Today we took one step closer to Little Brother and our trip to China. Once our homestudy was finished (which we managed to do, despite some hiccups), we sent our I-800-A application to United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) and waited for our fingerprinting appointment. No, our fingerprints have not changed since we last did this. Yes, they make us do it again anyway. (insert eye roll)
Our appointment was this morning! It should be 2-6 weeks before we get our actual I-800A, but that's the last thing we need before everything can be authenticated and sent to China. If everything goes quickly, we could be looking at a file by July!
Today we took one step closer to Little Brother and our trip to China. Once our homestudy was finished (which we managed to do, despite some hiccups), we sent our I-800-A application to United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) and waited for our fingerprinting appointment. No, our fingerprints have not changed since we last did this. Yes, they make us do it again anyway. (insert eye roll)
Our appointment was this morning! It should be 2-6 weeks before we get our actual I-800A, but that's the last thing we need before everything can be authenticated and sent to China. If everything goes quickly, we could be looking at a file by July!
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Summer Waters
Fantasy novels often use the construct of the four elements (fire, water, earth, air) in their world-building efforts. As a kid I knew that a) I could totally nail whatever fantasy world I was sent to if it ever happened to me, and b) if I had to choose an element, it'd be water. The whole "I don't really like swimming" doesn't fit, but if I could control it, then maybe I'd like it more. And there are many aspects of water that I do like. As I studied chemistry, it sealed the deal for me. (Water is very cool from a molecular standpoint)
Perhaps this is why water metaphors seem to fit well in my life. Last fall really felt like I was going down a raging river, trying to keep my head above the water (one of the reasons it was hard to sit down and blog). Still getting used to three kids, teaching a class for the first time, back to our regular schedule...I may have tried to do a little too much. :)
My Christmas break was a bit of calm, and you know, kids do eventually get older, stop yelling at each other all the time, and start playing together in a somewhat cute fashion. So our spring semester was a bit less underwater and more like riding down the river in a raft. Still raging, still rapids, but at least I had a paddle and could do a little navigating. We enjoyed a few family visits, had some people over for dinner, and I got to take a trip (by myself!!) to a friend's wedding.
But having something(s) every single day of the week is relentless, and we have finally reached the end of the rapids. As I lean back in the raft and breathe a sigh of relief, I'm looking forward to a summer with very few outside responsibilities. Teaching is done, preschool is done, sunday school is done...which is fine, since I have quite a few projects planned before #4 shows up.
And blogging is up there--there was a good chance my next post would be a picture of our little guy, but like many things, it's not hard to begin again if you just sit down and do it.
Perhaps this is why water metaphors seem to fit well in my life. Last fall really felt like I was going down a raging river, trying to keep my head above the water (one of the reasons it was hard to sit down and blog). Still getting used to three kids, teaching a class for the first time, back to our regular schedule...I may have tried to do a little too much. :)
My Christmas break was a bit of calm, and you know, kids do eventually get older, stop yelling at each other all the time, and start playing together in a somewhat cute fashion. So our spring semester was a bit less underwater and more like riding down the river in a raft. Still raging, still rapids, but at least I had a paddle and could do a little navigating. We enjoyed a few family visits, had some people over for dinner, and I got to take a trip (by myself!!) to a friend's wedding.
But having something(s) every single day of the week is relentless, and we have finally reached the end of the rapids. As I lean back in the raft and breathe a sigh of relief, I'm looking forward to a summer with very few outside responsibilities. Teaching is done, preschool is done, sunday school is done...which is fine, since I have quite a few projects planned before #4 shows up.
And blogging is up there--there was a good chance my next post would be a picture of our little guy, but like many things, it's not hard to begin again if you just sit down and do it.
Friday, March 27, 2015
What next?
What next, indeed...our house has a little while before we add another level of craziness to it. :)
How long before that happens?
Although we've done this once before, that doesn't seem to be speeding up the timeline much. We will still need to get our homestudy updated, get all the paperwork, etc., etc., so we are looking at traveling to get our son some time in 2016. I'm scheduled to teach in the fall (I think), so I hope we're not traveling earlier than Christmas!
What all do you have to do?
We follow the same set of steps as last time. For those who missed the first time (or have forgotten), here's a brief run down:
Phase 1: Paper paper paper
--Get all the paperwork together for our homestudy and dossier (the documents sent to China)
--Get initial permission from US immigration to adopt
--Submit all the paperwork to China and get "logged in."
That all takes about 6 months--maybe a little less because we are just updating our homestudy instead of starting from scratch, but not much.
Phase 2: Wait wait wait
--Match with our son! Our agency is expecting to receive twice the number of files from China this year, so we don't expect to wait long at all. It's even possible we could have a file on hold before we get logged into China's system.
--More immigration approval
--More approval stuff from China
--Travel!
And that takes about 6-8 months as well.
Why now?
The short answer is that David and I are both ready. The long answer is going to take another post...
How long before that happens?
Although we've done this once before, that doesn't seem to be speeding up the timeline much. We will still need to get our homestudy updated, get all the paperwork, etc., etc., so we are looking at traveling to get our son some time in 2016. I'm scheduled to teach in the fall (I think), so I hope we're not traveling earlier than Christmas!
What all do you have to do?
We follow the same set of steps as last time. For those who missed the first time (or have forgotten), here's a brief run down:
Phase 1: Paper paper paper
--Get all the paperwork together for our homestudy and dossier (the documents sent to China)
--Get initial permission from US immigration to adopt
--Submit all the paperwork to China and get "logged in."
That all takes about 6 months--maybe a little less because we are just updating our homestudy instead of starting from scratch, but not much.
Phase 2: Wait wait wait
--Match with our son! Our agency is expecting to receive twice the number of files from China this year, so we don't expect to wait long at all. It's even possible we could have a file on hold before we get logged into China's system.
--More immigration approval
--More approval stuff from China
--Travel!
And that takes about 6-8 months as well.
Why now?
The short answer is that David and I are both ready. The long answer is going to take another post...
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Our Prayer Map
We try to pray with the kids every night before bed. To help with the 'blessings' part, I bought a world map and put up pictures of all the missionaries that we support, along with our church planting pastor. A few weeks ago, we added a new 'picture' to our map:
Here we go again!
Here we go again!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Happy Family Day!
One year ago...
And now...
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