OUCH!!!!!

Today "M"  and I took the kids and drove to "R"  to get some of our shots to travel. We got yellow fever, typhoid, Hep A and polio. "M"also got a tetanus because it had been so long! We took over an hour there to go through all the education of everything. The kids were very patient. Especially considering that they had to come back home and get school done afterwards! My arms both hurt!!!! "M"  was ridiculously obnoxious. He'd say he was funny. He had to fill out a questionnaire and it asked if you were allergic to anything and then listed a lot of things....beside "eggs" he wrote...."over easy please". Then beside "other" he said "allergic to work". He had 50 other comments by the way! I will not go into the gory details. I will say that he made the nurse laugh a lot and the kids too! I just rolled my eyes a lot!

Promo for "We Have Room" Documentary from David Watson on Vimeo.

VIDEO!!!

I WISH I could post the video and pictures but I guess I cannot quite yet. But yesterday we did a very big thing, and send our dossier to our caseworker to review and then she'll send it to Ghana. That gets us even closer to bringing "P" and "M" home. But today, I was given a gift. I checked my loop of families from our agency adopting from Ghana and the wonderful mom who took our gift bags had videos for all of the Ghana families, waiting or already referred, and there was video of "P" and "M"! Almost 5 minutes of them! It was video of them sitting down and being told they have a family, opening their bags from us and then (gulp) this wonderful mom read our welcome to our family letter to him. He didn't show a lot of emotion, it had to be overwhelming, but when he looked at the pictures we sent, you saw a smile or two! It was unbelievable. I had tears pouring down my face as I watched. I felt like I did, the day "J" was placed into my arms. Can't really explain it. The kids loved watching it. It helps "P" and "M" be that much more real to us! Oh I wish the whole family could go there to get these two beautiful children. Sometimes I am afraid of how hard I think it will be, but then other times I'm given little blessings and can see the gift that they will be to us! God is good and we are trusting and obeying!

It's IN!

Finally! We got a call from our social worker yesterday, on my cell phone while we were going to a wedding that the homestudy is FINALLY approved and in from Illinois. They are SLOW! But it's done! We haven't been able to send our dossier to Ghana without it! So now the international paperwork can move forward and we can get closer to bringing "P" and "M"home. I've also started nesting...that's way too early isn't it? I want to paint "J" and "P"'s room, and make it more cozy, I want to get a bunkbed for "M"'s room, I realized I need a carseat and a booster seat, a booster seat at the kitchen table, another school desk, clothes, winter clothes....lots! So I should really start getting my garage sale addiction into high gear! But that's all fun stuff!

WOW

How do I even begin to say thank you to the mom, I'll call her "K", for traveling to Ghana and taking our gift bags to "P" and "M". More than that though, how do I say thank you for the priceless pictures I just looked at of them opening their bags, having their letters read to them and seeing them be told they have a forever family. It was SOOO exciting. I can't wait to put those pictures up on this blog! Thank you!!!

Change is coming...

As we look forward to hearing more about "P" and "M" and seeing more pictures, I look at the pictures on our shelf in the kitchen and realize how much will change and I can't wait to take their pictures and to include them in the family picture. I don't share a lot on this blog about how I have truly felt in the process, but I know that I am excited yet nervous, hopeful and yet knowing I can't do any of this without God's strength. Finances? Another complete step of faith. But He has already started providing in ways we didn't expect and it is pretty fun to watch God work. He has led us to these two children we know that for sure! So we pray every day for them as we look at their pictures on the fridge, praying for their adjustment and our adjustment. I have to say that I am SO thankful for the support the church is showing us now that they are all more aware of this process and I also love the new "family" I've found through our agency and all the families who have adopted or who will be adopting from Ghana. No one understands better than they what we are going through or what we will go through. I just switched songs to He Reigns because I know He does and I am thankful today for that!

Fingerprints done for the 2nd time

"R" and "C" took the kids for the day and gave them quite a fun day and LOTS of sugar! Thanks!!! No seriously, it really helped. We had to drive to northern "C" to get our fingerprints done for the FBI for our advance petition of the I-600A for orphans. We will have to do it again when the I-600A is approved. Yes, a third set of fingerprints. No, I don't know why! But it's done!