A Noise In My Shower

There's a noise in my shower.
Not one,
Or two,
But three sets of little hands appear.Guess who?The sweetest surprise any momma could want!!!

Moving Right Along

Progress!

The State Department's National Visa Center has recently received your approval Form I-800, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative. This letter is to inform you that your petition has been forwarded to the appropriate visa-issuing post where the adoption interview will take place.

Back to China.

Paperwork.

Here.

There.

Back here.

Back there.

Really close now.

Frantic

Feeling frantic.

Somewhere between panic and full cardiac arrest.

It's not funny.

I know.

I feel like I am digging to China,

where my mother said I would end up if I kept scooping out that hole.

China is on the other side of the world, people.

Like globally opposite.

Apparently, I am going there.

I.CAN'T.BELIEVE.IT.

And yes, I'm shouting.

I could write a book about adoption pregnancy symptoms.

Weight gain? Yup.

Foggy brain? Indubitably.

Nesting? Paint cans stacked ceiling high.

Sleepless nights? Absolutely.

Worry about the future? Positively.

Packing for the hospital trip? Barely begun.

Great News and Paperwork Complications

GREAT NEWS!

I800 Approval came today and is winging its way to the National Visa Center.
Thank you, God. Your miracles continue to amaze me.

Thank you to our wonderful NBC officer.

Another step closer to China.

I keep watching the latest video that came in June.

Joshua asks, "When will you come and get me?"

My heart is aching tonight. I LOVE that boy.

He NEEDS his Mom and Dad.

Thanks to Andrea, a very special friend, we are sending a care package next week that will hopefully be hand delivered to Joshua. A sweet woman from church named Grace gave me several quilts. I decided to send them both to China so Joshua could give a matching quilt to his friend who also has serious heart issues.
I personalized the quilts.
This sweet boy will also be named "Joshua."
I miss him tonight. How do you so deeply miss someone that you have never met?
The backs are matching but the fronts are different. Lap size quilts.
We are also sending an instant camera to take pictures of the only home he has known for quite awhile.
And then there is the loot including candy and toys to share. Also a key ring with laminated pictures of the whole family.
I hope he will feel the LOVE that comes with these gifts.

Now on to the......

NOT SO GREAT NEWS!

The Chinese visa applications we sent out were the wrong version.

I sent them overnight to the courier.

China changed the rules as of July 1st.

Not everyone is on the same page.

Oh well, take 2.

We will try again.

I wondered why the lady on the phone asked me if I had any questions about filling out the form.

Now I know.

What if I don't know where we are staying?

No contact in China?

It's complicated.

Thank goodness we have a few weeks to pull this together.

Visas will come.

Arrangements will be made.

Soon, Joshua.

Fourth Day of July

You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it.” – John Adams in a letter to his wife Abigail, April 26 1777

For the beauty of the earth.
Our day ended with fireworks.
And started parading in a nearby small town.
How stunningly beautiful my kids are.
Sean, our best friend. Love that boy.
Flowers for Mama.
Red, white, and blue.
Early arrival insured an excellent view of the parade, in the SHADE.Waiting for the action. Trey said, "Where's the caprade?"Here they come.
Closer now.
Gracious, who is that driving?
Yep, that's our Lindsey girl.A little bit of everything in the parade.Sharing the loot. They were quite organized.On the way back, we bummed a ride to the farm.
Who passes up a free wagon ride when you know the driver?Slow and steady wins the race.
Micah got a front row seat.Trey's turn.Did I mention it was hot?Braided.
Thanks for the ride girls.
If you stop at the farm, you must go see the piglets.
Our annual tradition is to go to Calumet for chicken barbecue,
an outdoor brass concert,
topped off with an ice cream sundae.
I have no idea what he is doing.
We share the fourth of July with Bob's mother and his brother, Tom.
Very special.
Hanging out in the hammock.
We also said good-bye to Grandma Marcia and Grandpa Jere
and sent them on their way.
We had a wonderful visit.
Back to work tomorrow.

By the way, all my photos are unedited.
Sometimes I get lucky.
And some day I will learn how to photoshop.

Good Girls and Naughty Boys

Today was work day.

Work.

All day.

After I got off the computer at 10:00 am.

That's the truth.

Clean up the yard day.

Rake out the pebbles from under the rabbit hutches.

What goes in....must come out.

And another rite of passage has occurred.

Kloey is 11 and she asked to learn how to do this:
We decided she was ready.

Then she ran out of gas.
The rest of the story isn't so pretty.

Can you guess what nature of crime is depicted here?
Quite an art project, wouldn't you say?

What happens when a certain someone leaves a sharpie laying around?

And two little boys find it?

Instant art.....on the car.

Not good.

All over the car and windows.

Not good at all.

One of the culprits.
I ask you, does he even look remotely remorseful?

Little stinker.

Field Trips

We ventured out to visit fun places in Vermont.
A few cute apples in the bunch.
Having fun yet?
Another basket of apples.
Apple cider doughnuts. Delicious.
Free samples? Yes sir-ree.
A little cream, a little milk, and a whole lot of sugar.
Every good field trip involves a playground.The whole gang.
Granddaughter and Grandmother
Sisters.
Father and son.
My brother and nephew.
Even Grandpas like to color.
Cousins.