I800a + Vermont=Rest, Fun, Snow!

We are really making some progress with our Dossier!  I finally feel like we are progressing and that we are actually getting closer to meeting our treasured little ones!  AJ and I had to wait what seemed like forever to fill out and send this application to Homeland Security because part of our Home Study report had to be redone ...yuck!  So we had to wait about 4 weeks to have the Home Study report redone (which our agency so kindly charged us for) and receive it in the mail.  Once we got that in our hands we were able to submit our I 800a application to USCIS and now we...wait for it...wait for it....yeah we wait for it.  In a way, I think going through years of waiting to have a baby has made AJ and I extremely patient in this whole waiting process...if you haven't noticed a lot of the adoption process is about waiting...waiting to fill out forms, waiting on others to fill our forms, waiting for forms to fill out other forms so that you can wait some more sheesh!  In the end though, it's all worth it and will prepare us for the next time we adopt (there will be many more times)!

Our I800a application set and ready to go!  My husband ROCKS!

 We have been going nonstop since last year with helping both my parents recover, starting the adoption process, work and life...we needed a reprieve.  What better way to reconnect, rest and breath a little than to take a mini trip to our beloved Woodstock, Vermont.  AJ and I have been going to this amazingly quaint little town for  quite a while and my parents spent their honeymoon there.  We love  staying at the Woodstock Inn, but his trip needed to be a bit more economical this time around! So we ended up staying at a not-so-great B&B, but we felt blessed just to get away and spend some time together and with our family!  My parents were up in Woodstock ( staying at the Woodstock Inn) ,as well as, my younger brother so it was nice to have dinner with  each other every night we were there!

Our beloved Woodstock Inn --it's huge you just can't tell from this pic!

What you see when you step outside

 The first day AJ and I were there, we decided to take a hike up the mountain across from the Inn.  It took us about an hour up and an hour back and it was worth it.  The views when you get to the top are amazing!

About 20 minutes from Woodstock is Killington, a great ski mountain and resort.  AJ and I haven't been skiing and snowboarding since we took our family trip to Tahoe in 2007 so we felt it was high time to get back in the saddle and hit the slopes.  My brother, Grant, AJ and I went for the day and had such a great time.  It snowed the entire day and was great conditions!  The mountain was gorgeous, especially when we took the K-1 Express Gondola to the very top...the snow was like globs of white frosting on the trees....beautiful.  We took several trails and enjoyed God's provision, goodness and creativity in design as we made our way down the very long mountain!  Getting back on my board and enjoying the winter wonderland around me was just what I needed.  I felt like I got a piece of me back that had been missing since trying to have a family.  Both AJ and I agreed it was some of the most fun we have had in a long long time!  We kept thinking the whole time, what fun we will have when we are able to bring our little ones to the slopes and teach them how to ski...or if it's up to their Mama, they'll be strapping a snowboard to their feet!

AJ and Grant ready to ski from the top of Killington!

Loving this time I had with AJ

I'm ready to go!!!

One bummer about being in very cold weather is that it effects the battery in my little old shoot and click camera and it died pretty quickly.  That's quite alright though because I have some pretty terrific memories that I'll never forget.

 We ended each night at dinner with our family and one night had dinner at our favorite restaurant Simon Pearce. We had an outstanding dinner, as always, and enjoyed the time of laughter and love with everyone around the table!  I love my family so much!  We ended our trip with brunch at the Woodstock Inn and headed home to New Jersey (insert a very sad face here and perhaps a bit of whining).  We had such a great time and felt incredibly refreshed to tackle some more waiting when we got back!

Some beautiful historic buildings around Woodstock...gorgeous!

We are well on our way now and will be introducing two new fundraisers within the next couple of days!  It's crunch time now to start getting our fundraiser complete!  Continue to pray for us as we conintue our journey of adoption!  Love you all!

God is good and we are blessed

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains
and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and
all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Isaiah 55:12

Love Pure as Snow!

Over the past week, we had a few snow storms-one resulting in a little over a foot of snow!  AJ and I LOVE the snow and love the winter, so we were pretty stoked when we woke to find our neighborhood blanketed in a pure shade of white!  

We immediately headed outside to enjoy the icy cold air and help our neighbors dig out (well AJ did most of the digging and I made sure he did a good job!).

 

 I love when it snows-it's so quiet and cozy.  I love the crisp blue sky against the glistening trees.  God really has such creativity for each season and I have to say when He created snow, He really hit the nail on the head!

 

As we get closer and closer to finishing up our paperwork and the completion of our dossier, I

can't help but to let my mind start to wonder about who are children will be and what they are doing at this moment or if they are even born yet? Will they like the snow?  Are they cold right now?  Is someone holding them tight for the last time?  There are many many many emotions through the adoption process and many many many thoughts each day that I work through.  But no matter how deep, how painful or how longing my thoughts become through this process, the overwhelming love in my heart for my children overrides any of those worries. I miss them, I long for them and I love them like no no other...with a love as pure as snow....

God is good and we are blessed!

  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart. 

1 Peter 1:22

 

Surronded with LOVE

I have a lot to catch up on, as once again I have let time slip by and not updated like I should!  We have been going about 1,000 mph trying to get our dossier completed, take down Christmas decorations, going birthday parties, completing a bathroom remodel and spending time with family. I try not to complain because there are many people out there that would give anything just to be half as busy as we are, so I shall sit here at my computer happy and content with my fast lane life right now! 

With all the running around, I was feeling like I was missing something...like I needed to connect. I needed reassurance that I was on the right track, that we were doing all the right things and that we could be great adoptive parents!  I needed a connection not only to God, but to people who have done this journey or are praying us through..people who could surround me with love and support.  I serve such a mighty God and I received that connection and more!
I have an amazing cousin Joe, who married AJ and I in 2006. It meant so much to us that he unite us in marriage because not only is he a mighty man of God, but he and his wife  adopted 7 children themselves! They are such a strong, solid example of selfless people who do an amazing job at parenting and have navigated the adoption process many times in many different ways!

My cousin Joe uniting us in marriage-what a special memory to have!

Joe called me last week to encourage both AJ and I with our process. He answered the many many questions I had, gave invaluable advice about raising a child who is adopted and spoke much from his heart.  I was so blessed by the conversation and I only hope he knows how much it meant!

A couple days later, my MIL Peggy called to see how we were doing and to provide some much needed words of love.  She an amazing woman with words and is able to provide such loving encouragement when needed. She is always able to lend an ear and listens with her whole heart.  I shared with her my frustration with the dossier process and the longing to hold my child , knowing they could very well be alone, in a crib with no one to pick them up...that just about undid me!  But Peggy has always been able to sooth the soul and she reminded me of Job.  She reminded me of all he had been through and yet he turned to and trusted God...in the end Job had more than what he started with...love it! She is so great, I mean how many people  enjoy going on vacation with their MIL...I DO!!!

Love her!

To top  off such a great week off, AJ and I celebrated with my younger brother and parents at Ninety Acres.  We celebrated all the great things that 2013 has already brought us and all that it will bring us!  The restaurant and grounds were gorgeous and the food was outstanding, but the company was the best.  It was so special being there with both my parents and younger brother to embrace all we have and are blessed with! What a great evening!

It's so great to know I serve a loving God, that knows exactly what I need, when I need it!  AJ and I are blessed with an incredible family, church family and wonderful friends-who are an extension of our family!  I can't wait to add to it!  I know are children will be blessed by an amazingly kind and loving group of people!


God is good and we are blessed!

Don’t say anything that would hurt another person. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed. That way, what you say will help those who hear you.

Ephesians 4:29 

Paper, Paper and More Paper

I am not one to keep a lot of clutter or lose papers around, so you can imagine when you have to collect piles and piles of papers to bring your kiddos home it can be a bit of a challenge. I just keep reminding myself that the various piles and file folders everywhere are well worth the minor inconvenience to this Type A type of gal! AJ and I are currently finishing up the paperwork required for our Dossier.  What is a dossier you may ask? A dossier is a term that refers to a set of appropriately authenticated and translated legal documents which are used in international adoption cases to process the adoption of a child in its own country by the adoptive parents, or for the adoptive parents to obtain the legal custody or guardianship of the child in the foreign court, so the child can be brought by the adoptive parents to the United States for adoption...WEW!  Yeah that's how AJ and I feel right about now!  We have been compiling, ordering, filling out and notarizing paperwork since June!  It's not that it is hard, but it's time consuming and needs to be done right, else you do it again.

Right now we are waiting on certified copies of birth and marriage certificates and reference letters. We also need to fill out an application form for The Waiting Child Program and also our I800A application once our homestudy report is finalized.  Once we are at that point, we have to start getting our paperwork authenticated by the State and then by the Chinese Embassy in NYC.  Once I start talking about this part, I start to feel a overwhelmed because everything needs to be done right and done quickly because our documents are time sensitive. It is then sent to China. When our dossier is approved we wait (big surprise) for our LID (log in date) and begin another period of waiting for a referral. Once we accept a referral, we wait (I am a pro at this now) for our LOA (letter of acceptance) and our travel dates.  We don't really know the time line of how long it will take to get a referral, it's based on what we requested and the matching of that child(ren).  We are hoping to adopt siblings/twins and the age range we requested is between 6-18 months. We emphasized in our paperwork that we would like them to be as young as possible. We know God has the right kiddos for us, so we are not really stressing over age ranges too much.  

our file full of notarized documents

all our document for the dossier

I know so many of you have questions or have asked about time frames, ages, boy/girl and such. I wish we were able to answer with more definitiveness, but in the world of adoption it is not so. Believe me, I would LOVE to know what we are having and their ages so I can go out and buy clothes, toys and finish our nursery---this is one of the hardest parts. Knowing you're having children, but not knowing when, how old, or boys/girls is so difficult...but I am used to waiting, so....I shall wait (and then go on a MEGA shopping spree the moment we accept our referral -sorry AJ)!  

So that is a little bit of catch up with where we are at in the process. We ask you continue to keep us in your prayers as everyday we get closer to our Gotchya Day!  

God is good and we are blessed!

 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain

1 Corinthians 15:58

A Very Special Gift

You know when you want to find the perfect gift to make the recipient know how special they are, well I found the perfect gift for the perfect person!  My mother is an incredibly special person to me, beyond words special to me.  We have a bond, like no other, and not a day goes by when I don't call my mom to see how she is and just to hear her voice.  I love her so much, not only because she is my mom, but because she is the strongest woman of God I know!  She has a love for the Lord and an unshakable form of faith that few have.  I aspire to be the faithful servant of the Lord she is, what an inspiration!

My mom means so much to me and we have grown closer with each passing year. The last five years we have formed a bond so tight, it's unbreakable.  She has provided much comfort and words of wisdom when I would call each month with a tearful broken heart as my dream of motherhood was not fulfilled.  She would encourage me and hold me tight when another friend or family member was having a baby and I was on years of trying with no results.  My mom would cry with me as I would ask "why" and she would respond "I don't know, but God is faithful" and whisper prayers into my ear to comfort me.  My mom kept her emotions in check, at times, when I knew she wanted to be sobbing deep tears of sorrow with me , but knew she couldn't if she wanted to help me stay in faith.  What a strong, loving mom I have!  

I have to say through all the pain, disappointments and tears, my mother never wavered in her faith and confessions that I would be a mother....at times she had to stand in the gap for me and lead me through dark places...she never gave up...I never gave up because of her encouragement.

When the Lord called AJ and I to adopt, I knew I wanted to honor my mother becoming a grandmother again in a very special way.  Although adoption is not the most traditional way of becoming a grandmother, I wanted her to have best, most memorable experience possible!  I wanted to honor her being a grandmother in any way I could and the way she deserves. When I came across this delicate charm, I knew this needed to be around my mother's neck.

www.facebook.com/JiayinDesigns

 This beautiful charm means "maternal grandmother" and is pronounced Lao Lao.  It's a perfect piece to give to a woman so worthy of the title Grandmother.  The moment I gave this charm to my mom on New Years Day, the joy that exuded from everyone in the room was overwhelming.  Most everyone was crying and my mom was moved deeply.  It was such incredible moment to honor a woman who has given so much to so many people and never expects anything in return.  It makes my heart happy that I can give my mother something she can carry with her everyday so that she knows how loved she is and what an amazing grandmother she will be to our children.  One day when my children go barreling into her house, calling her name, she'll know their love was with her before she could see them, touch them or whisper "I love you" in their ears!