Cool, Calm, and Collected....Sort of !

It's my fault. I forgot to send in my fingerprint money ($160) when I sent in my I-800 A form. I was sooo careful when I filled the form out. I nervously filled in each line, checking the directions several times so I wouldn't get that dreaded phone call that something was wrong with my form and they couldn't process it. ( sorry for the run on sentence with all the prepositions and conjunctions !). I received an email from my officer that they could not process my form...ugghhh ! They are sending me something in the snail mail that I have to have to send in with my money. Wouldn't it be nice if I could just write a check and mail it to them ? So, I am waiting on a form so that then, I can send in a check. It wouldn't be so bad if this was the first time I have done this, but no, I have done this before ! Well, my goal of having my I-800 A form done in 30 days is shot - oh well !! All this paperwork is fun - I keep telling myself :)

Hooked on Chinese

We are learning Chinese !!!

Adoption Tax Credit

Today, I emailed my Senator and Representatives about the adoption tax credit expiring in 2010.
"The federal adoption tax credit has helped thousands of families say "Yes!" to adopting a child. It's vital that this financial support stay in place to help families offset the costs and fees associated with adopting a child. Unfortunately, the tax credit is set to expire in December 2010 unless Congress votes to continue it. It's time to take action! READ more about how you can help make the tax credit permanent, and find out which 16 states still have no support for this important bill! "

Milkshakes and Masterpieces

My very creative and wonderful sister-in-law put together one of the best birthday parties ! We celebrated Lacey's 7th birthday outside painting these very cute masterpieces and sipping on home-made milkshakes. The boys love to paint ! The footballs were already penciled in and all they had to do was pick their colors and paint away. I got to paint a cute butterfly, that will of course hang in our little girls room one day !

Our First Strawberry !

We picked our first, juicy, red strawberry, divided it up and ate it. Yummy !!!!

We have enough Sky Miles !!!!

Praise the Lord ! We found out this morning that we have enough sky miles to fly our entire family to China and back - for free !!! AND, we only have to pay 10% of our little one's ticket price when we fly home ( Delta gives an adoption discount !). While there is some *red tape* to go through to make all this free stuff happen, we will pray that all lines up when we do book our flight to China.

Chuck was on the phone for about 30 minutes today with Delta asking a lot of questions. At one point he asked " How much will it cost to get our little girl home ?" At that point he lost it and began weeping. It was one of those moments when reality hits you and you are talking about YOUR little girl. Adoption has been such a long and emotional journey for us and to think that it WILL happen, eventually, is a little overwhelming mixed with sweet and precious tears.

Living History !

We love History, so a chance to actually SEE some living history is a treat ! Saturday, we visited the Lee County Historical Society in Loachapoka, Alabama. There was blacksmithing, open hearth cooking, gardening, dulcimer music, gourd painting, and lots of other activites during the day. The feature activity was a group of local, Civil War enactors who set up their tent, displayed their weapons, and engaged in a little friendly fire. The group represented the 28th Alabama Infantry Company.

An unforgettable Easter !

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. "







On March 31rst, 2009 - Walker and Will made the most important decision in their life - They decided to follow Jesus all their days, to trust fully in Him and to KNOW HIM as their savior !

Tuesday Ramblings

I've been waiting until I had some "free time", whatever that is - to catch up on my Blog. I do have some exciting news to share - nothing about China - but will have to wait until my pictures are back on my computer. We had to send the laptop away to be fixed and all the pics have to be reloaded. Other than that, we have been busy schooling and trying to keep our garden from freezing ! Chuck had to build a canopy to cover our little garden. We already have tiny green tomatoes and strawberries !
Walker went to his eye therapy yesterday and got a prescription for reading glasses. He is so excited ! He has been wanting glasses ever since his cousin, Maleah, got some. The boys have violin and guitar recitals coming up, and we are having to make sure they really practice everyday. I can't wait to see them perform their pieces !
Walker is playing baseball (machine pitch) and it seems we are always at the ball park. I am practicing for my first ever ballet recital ! YES,I take ballet from a Christian ballet company that is incredible ! We are doing a huge presentation in May - The Creation Story. My class is the land. We dance with the sky !
We are still paper-chasing to China. I received a letter from the USCIS stating they received my I800 A form and I will be getting a fingerprinting appointment soon.