Lot's of pictures

I don't always have time to write something thoughtful, and I'd like to document our day to day activities better. But, a picture is worth a thousand words right?

Gideon at the playground.

 

 Fearless duo

 Hanging out, waiting for blood.

 It took a lonnnng time this day, and Gideon was over it, lol.

 Vivian came to me and said "Mama, look I'm Mary!"

 Here we are waiting for Vivian to have one of her procedures.

 A Popsicle afterwards

 Decorating Christmas cookies at Grandmama's house

 Cookie decorating/Table of sugar :)

 Brothers do this kind of stuff.

 Olivia and her best friends, headed to their Sunday School Christmas party. Aren't they beautiful? Inside and out!

 Olivia's hair for the party. Fun!

 Olivia made this cheese Christmas tree all by herself for the party

 Abram being silly.

 And his alter ego.

 Christmas morning, looking at stockings.

 Ready to open presents.

 Hugging her cousin on Christmas.

 Abram passed out mid afternoon at Grandmama's house.

Merry Christmas

It's a few days late, but I hope you and your families had a very blessed Christmas season. We have had a wonderful month. Sometimes, I wish that Thanksgiving and Christmas were a little further apart. It seems like it all comes so quick, and goes so fast. Vivian had all her yearly tests this month too, and so it seemed I was driving to the Children's hospital (3 hrs round trip) every time I turned around. She was a trooper though and is doing well. We are just waiting now for our Article 5 to be picked up next week, and then, waiting for travel approval. We pulled out our suitcases this week, so I can start the packing process. It's a major undertaking. I may post about that more later. We've come so far in 8 months. In the beginning, it felt like we were staring at this mountain. This huge mountain, and I just didn't know how we would ever get to the top. But we knew God was asking us to take the first step and just trust him. He has been faithful, and the doors have opened, and the funds have come, a little here and there, as we've needed them. The travel and orphanage fees at the end though are large amounts. We are hoping to be on a plane before the end of January, and so it is getting very close. We still have cookbooks, and t-shirts, and bbq sauce. If you are interested just email us. If you feel led to give to help us bring Georgia and Calvin home, you can give directly through our agency using the link to the right. It's tax deductible, if that helps you. We are so thankful and humbled by every gift. It's hard to ask for, or accept help. We feel though that God has asked us to walk this journey of faith. To depend on him, and trust He will provide. We did receive an extra special gift this year. Late on Christmas Eve, our agency forwarded us an email update for Georgia. We had received one for Calvin just a few days prior.

Aren't they the cutest children you've ever seen! I am so thankful to have new pictures, and that they look so well. I can hardly wait to hug them!!! I'll try to post some Christmas day pictures later today. Wishing you a blessed rest of 2012 and upcoming 2013!

Here we gooooooo!

The last few steps since we received our LOA's at the end of November have gone very smoothly and quickly! Praise God! It didn't go as easily with Vivian. It just took longer, and we had delays due to snowstorms where the National Visa Center is located etc.... However this time, our I800, which was the approval for Georgia and Calvin specifically from immigration was quick and easy. The next step was for their cases to be forward to the National Visa Center, processed, and cabled to the American Consulate in Ch*na. We received our LOA's this time on almost the exact same date as with Vivian, but didn't get to the Article 5 dropoff step until the middle of January. We had our cases dropped off for Article 5 this past Tuesday 12/18. Almost a full month faster! This is how I'm feeling......

The past 8+ months have been the build up, the slow, painful, ride up to the crest, and now, now we are zooming down. Flying, and screaming my head off, (well, just screaming on the inside, lol) and both thrilled and panicking at the same time!

Article 5 is the.last.step. before we wait for permission to travel! It is one of the only predicable steps. Pickup is always two weeks after dropoff, so because of the holidays, Christmas and New Years, our pickup is scheduled for 1/3/13! Then we are just waiting for permission from Ch*na to travel to pick up the kids!!!! That has been taking around 2 weeks.... so hopefully we will have permission by mid January. That will be here before I can blink with the holidays and all! I am hoping we will be able to still quickly travel and get there and leave before Ch*nese New Year. When I say quickly, it might be less than a weeks notice from permission till we are on a plane! Feeling blessed, and excited and well, like I'm on the wildest ride ever! I'm thankful to know that God is in control of it though, so I don't have to be scared. I just hang on to him.

I like adoption!

Adoption is Family. Love this, love it! Children don't need stuff. They need families. Families need them. Our kids don't have much name brand stuff. They don't have I-anythings yet, but they are seeing what matters, and I think they get it. I pray that God will use them to go out and make a difference for his precious children.

Watch this, it will bless you!

I800 approval!

I emailed USCIS today, and found out our applications for Georgia and Calvin were approved on Monday! So exciting. Now on to the NVC and being Cabled. Then Article 5. Then Travel approval. If things go smoothly, hoping to have that in 5 weeks!


Whew.......

so exciting, overwhelming, exciting!

Christmas posts to come!

Picture Catch Up

I was going through my pictures and realized I hadn't shared some, all the way back from Fall Festival. So, lets play catch up :)

 My crew before fall festival.

 Way too in to character as a Jedi.

 Tinkerbelle

 Perfect Stitch

 Amelia Earhardt, She made those googles herself. So clever!

 Captain Hook

 No picture of Gideon because he had just woke up, and was not in the mood, lol!

My big kids, are so good to the little ones.

 At the zoo. I love that John-Michael was carrying Vivian and holding Gideon's hand. All on his own, I hadn't asked him to help. He is the best big brother.

This is at the farm. They grow sugar cane and grind it to extract the juice and then boil it down to be cane syrup. It has its own flavor, a little similar to molasses. My Daddy and brother are carrying on the tradition. Here my SIL is driving the tractor round and round to crank the press, while others feed the cane stalks in. The day before the men had cut the cane by hand with machetes!

 This is all the cane juice later that day in the big kettle to be cooked down.

 

My brother keeping an eye on the syrup.

 

I took my bunch and my niece and nephew for a ride around the farm on the golf cart. We wanted to cross the creek but I was a little scared on that tiny sort of kind of bridge, so I made them all get off and walk across. Here they are waiting for me.

 

 Olivia made her first yeast rolls, all by herself. They were delicious!

At the hospital for transfusion, Ikea came and donated stuffed animals to all the kids, (and their siblings). So nice!