Happy Thanksgiving !

Home Study Here We Come !

I really wish I had some great new news on our adoption. But, I don't. However, we ARE about to start our home study process. So that's exciting ! I'm waiting on our social worker to contact us and then we can start the process. I am hoping this will be a somewhat painless and non complicated thing. But, if not - oh well...we will endure the long drawn out process. Since we are starting the home study process it does mean that we are taking tiny, little steps to our little girl. Every time I put a check mark on my adoption-paperwork-to-do-list I think we're just getting closer and closer. My paperwork came back from Montgomery unharmed and was safely delivered to my front door by a very nice Fed X man. I was very glad to see him. I was scared I wouldn't be home when the papers arrived and Charlie would chew them up !!! That would be a VERY BAD THING ! Please pray for my fingerprint clearance to come soon. Chuck's came 2 weeks ago, but mine have not. I am starting to get worried that something is wrong with them.

Getting ready !

What Are You Thankful For ? (Thankful ramblings)

Of course I am thankful for so many things I don't even know where to start....Let's see: Freedom to pray and worship God freely ! Amen! Salvation, forgiveness, A wonderful Godly husband who puts up with me, healthy, beautiful children that obey ( most of the time) and Love me with everything they have, Friends that Love me where I am and who I am, My mom that calls me even though I can't talk for longer than 5 minutes, All my family...But what about the little things like: my garage door opener that works EVERY TIME, my favorite cowboy boots, My coffee with french vanilla creamer that I drink every AM without fail ( Cause it makes me Super Mommy !!!!), my computer, cell phone, Provino's salad and garlic rolls, my Mini van ( yes, it is better than a Mercedes), my dishwasher,microwave, washer and dryer, Holly who does my hair, Christmas Music, snuggling with my boys on the couch, free days when I can go to the mall without kids and try on anything I want to.....and So much more. Much,much more.

Wordless Wednesday

Getting Some Practice In

We are keeping Gabe this week while Diane is somewhere I can't pronounce - on a ship - and probably practicing her Kareoke routine. Gabe is such a sweet little boy ! It has been awhile since we've had a high chair in our kitchen . This is really good for our family. The reality of having a little one around again is different. The boys are having to get used to doing school with Gabe playing cars nearby and we have had to have diaper change breaks. Walker is very protective over Gabe and doesn't want him to get nearby anything that could harm him. I hope they will be protective and this loving to our little china girl ! I know they (and us) will have to get used to all the changes a baby brings, but it will be a sweet change to our lives. We can't wait till that blessing happens !

Lots of Updates

Update #1

We have completed the gathering of all our Dossier Documents ! They have been certified by the County and are ready to go the State to be Authenticated. It feels good to have all the documents together and completed. I don't like to have things "hanging over my head" and not completed ( the organizer in me). So now, the hard part will be actually sending the documents to Montgomery because I don't want anything to happen to my precious, time-consuming, don't want to get lost, Notarized,certified...did I say precious papers.

Update #2

Santa made an early delivery last night ! The Elf On The Shelf was delivered to the Beams Home. His name is officially Elfie and he will report back to Santa if the kids are naughty or nice. Then he will leave us after Christmas to go back to the North Pole. Hopefully we'll have more Nice than Naughty !

Update #3 Watch out Charlie's Angels !!!

One of my best friends, Diane, had quite a ride this week. She had a biopsy on a "tumor" on her leg. We all cried out to God and prayed diligently and fervently for her. Praise God !!! She got the report yesterday that it is not the C word !!! Now she is heading on a cruise to some place in the Carribean. I took this picture last week at the shooting range. It was her first time to shoot a gun. I love you Diane and pray you have a relaxing and stinking good time in the tropics. You deserve it !!!!

A Miracle !

This is what I have been praying for. My boys quietly reading a book of their choice and loving it. Will was so into his book that he walked around reading it without looking up. Walker read all his book and then asked for another one. This may not seem that big to some, but to me it is HUGE. Everyone said this would happen, but I was beginning to doubt ! Now the only thing missing in this picture is our sweet little China girl. Can't you see her all snuggled in the middle with a little picture book ? Our boys are excited about having a sister one day. Will said " Mommy, can't Santa just bring her at Christmas time and we will all wake up and she will be asleep in your bed ?". So sweet !

Wordless Wednesday

Camo and Tutu's

Actually, Camo and Tutu's would have been a good name for this Blog. The boys are working really hard at trying to get a Buck. Chuck is into Bow hunting this year and has been in the tree as much as he can. No, he hasn't gotton one yet...but stay tuned ! On the other hand, I am not obsessed with hunting, but with pink, really cute tutu's ! Yes, I know it is way too early and premature to be bying little girls clothes, but I am LOVING the Tutu's !

Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork !!!!

Chuck and I have been busy trying to get all our adoption paperwork done. My whole dining room table is full of folders and checklists and it's a wonder I know where everything is. I have already lost Chuck's Social Security card and our passports once ( found them in some obscure file upstairs ). We have been to the doctor and been tested for every disease - we passed ! The kids had their physicals too. I have been to the Lee County Courthouse twice, police station 3 times and the Chambers Co. Courthouse ( all in one day). Please don't get me wrong - I am not complaining !! I am so excited to finally be able to make our dream of adopting a daughter a reality. But this paperwork stuff is hard. Everything has to be an exact way or you have to go back and redo it - which is very time consuming and sometimes costly.
Right now we are waiting on our fingerprint clearance to get back from the state and federal agencies. Once we are cleared, we can progress to the Home Study. After we complete 3 home studies we can send in our I 800 application which will allow us to bring our little one home to America and is a required step for her to gain US Citizenship. Then, once all our notarized documents have been sealed by the County, Authenticated by the State and sent to the Chinese consulate ..THEN, we can submit our Dossier to China. Are you confused yet ???
Then what ??? We WAIT !!! and wait some more. I love this quote I found ..."Time will pass whether you are waiting or not, so to be waiting for something wonderful is far better than waiting for nothing".

Just The Beginning...

Well, here it is ..My very own Blog !!! My purpose is to journal our life while we wait for our little one to come home from China. We started the adoption process in September ( well really 4 years ago in my heart). I will post updates on our adoption process as well as pictures and stories from our everyday life. More about our adoption later.