Tuesday, February 24, 2009
IMPORTANT INFO
I am thinking about making my blog private. So if you follow it, please comment with your email addy or if you have my email addy send me a request to be added to my viewing friends. Thanks!!!
One Proud Mama!
I just had to share these pictures of my wonderful family (I'm missing a few) but I post what I can when I can!!!! I must say that I am the luckiest person alive. I am so proud of my family, they are all just precious gifts from God. How can someone be so lucky??? LOL... Ok... I know I'm sappy, but my goodness I feel like I've been blessed so many times over.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Progress!
We just started our Ethiopian adoption process last week but as most of you guys know I am NOT a procrastinator! So here is what we've done so far:
- Sent out our I600A forms to USCIS
- Sent out our homestudy contract
- Completed all paperwork requested by homestudy agency (local police clearance letters, Florida Department of Law Enforcement clearance checks, employment verification forms, copies of last years tax returns, summaries of our lives and children, physicals for both my husband and I, health forms for all the children, Good Moral Character Affidavits, Department and Children and Families clearance checks, Guardianship affidavits, five personal reference letters - most of these documents needed to be notarized)... THIS IS JUST FOR THE HOMESTUDY!!!!! We had our visits in January so that's done!
- Sent out our agency application form which also necessitated copies of birth certificates, divorce decrees, tax returns, pictures of the family, proof of health insurance
So as you can all see, we have a jump on things and have been a bit busy lately. We are waiting to hear from our selected agency to see if we have been approved for their program. Once we get approval they will send us a contract and instructions to start the dossier process. This will require us to gather even more documents most of which will require a notary and authentication.
We will then wait for our homestudy to be completed and we will ship copies out to the USCIS in order to have them complete our request. Oh... I forgot, we will both need to be fingerprinted for USCIS to approve us. We will need to wait for an appointment date. They usually send out your fingerprint appointment date about 2-3 weeks after receipt of your application, so we are still waiting for that.
Yes, the process of adopting internationally is not for everyone. It takes tons of time and dedication just to gather all these documents and follow the process. But, I must say that the rewards have been amazing. We will continue to follow the process and allow God to do His mighty work. I'm sure He already knows who our daughter is and when she'll be in our home. We trust in Him to watch over her and bring her home in His perfect timing.
- Sent out our I600A forms to USCIS
- Sent out our homestudy contract
- Completed all paperwork requested by homestudy agency (local police clearance letters, Florida Department of Law Enforcement clearance checks, employment verification forms, copies of last years tax returns, summaries of our lives and children, physicals for both my husband and I, health forms for all the children, Good Moral Character Affidavits, Department and Children and Families clearance checks, Guardianship affidavits, five personal reference letters - most of these documents needed to be notarized)... THIS IS JUST FOR THE HOMESTUDY!!!!! We had our visits in January so that's done!
- Sent out our agency application form which also necessitated copies of birth certificates, divorce decrees, tax returns, pictures of the family, proof of health insurance
So as you can all see, we have a jump on things and have been a bit busy lately. We are waiting to hear from our selected agency to see if we have been approved for their program. Once we get approval they will send us a contract and instructions to start the dossier process. This will require us to gather even more documents most of which will require a notary and authentication.
We will then wait for our homestudy to be completed and we will ship copies out to the USCIS in order to have them complete our request. Oh... I forgot, we will both need to be fingerprinted for USCIS to approve us. We will need to wait for an appointment date. They usually send out your fingerprint appointment date about 2-3 weeks after receipt of your application, so we are still waiting for that.
Yes, the process of adopting internationally is not for everyone. It takes tons of time and dedication just to gather all these documents and follow the process. But, I must say that the rewards have been amazing. We will continue to follow the process and allow God to do His mighty work. I'm sure He already knows who our daughter is and when she'll be in our home. We trust in Him to watch over her and bring her home in His perfect timing.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Valentines Day Weekend..
We had a very nice weekend.. It began with a very terrific dinner on Valentines Day. We went to a local restaurant in Weston called Braseros. We went with another couple who we enjoy spending time with. They had a special menu for that day which included a very appealing appetizer, lobster bisque, a lobster tail, a filet and a special desert. We stayed there for about three hours and had a wonderful time.
Sunday was indeed a magical day for us. We attended a special service being held for law enforcement officers at a Missonary Baptist Church down south. The special service was being held in honor of Black History Month. We were very moved by the service which was headed by one of our Department's Chaplins Rev. Richardson. It was a true testament of faith and what it meant to be a Christian and how much God loves us. He spoke about confrontational love and how God touches our lives by means of confrontational love. We sometimes do not understand the purpose behind some of the trials we are faced with on a daily basis, but we must confront them and not ask why, just be aware that God is utilizing us for a reason. This was so very true and hit home in so many ways. The best gift I could have received came in the form of us finding the need to seek spiritual guidance. I am happy to say that our family will begin attending a local church on a weekly basis and we will rejoice in God's name and thank Him for the many blessings we receive on a daily basis!
Sunday was indeed a magical day for us. We attended a special service being held for law enforcement officers at a Missonary Baptist Church down south. The special service was being held in honor of Black History Month. We were very moved by the service which was headed by one of our Department's Chaplins Rev. Richardson. It was a true testament of faith and what it meant to be a Christian and how much God loves us. He spoke about confrontational love and how God touches our lives by means of confrontational love. We sometimes do not understand the purpose behind some of the trials we are faced with on a daily basis, but we must confront them and not ask why, just be aware that God is utilizing us for a reason. This was so very true and hit home in so many ways. The best gift I could have received came in the form of us finding the need to seek spiritual guidance. I am happy to say that our family will begin attending a local church on a weekly basis and we will rejoice in God's name and thank Him for the many blessings we receive on a daily basis!
Monday, February 9, 2009
We Have BIG News!
Yes, we have really big news, we have decided to move forward with an Ethiopian adoption. We have been praying about it for several weeks now and have waited to post. But, today, the decision was finally made and we will be submitting an application to a very respected agency. I have researched many and there are many good ones out there but we decided on one that fits our family best.
We have learned that there is about an 9 month wait (on average) just to receive your referral. This time will be different for us, we have decided to add a little girl to our family. We are requesting a child anywhere between 12 months to 3 years of age. Today, our adventure has officially begun. I know we are in for a ride, but I also know that God has directed us to Ethiopia and we will trust in Him.
So for now, just wish us a smooth process!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
