More Waiting.

Yes, we are still waiting on many things!  People ask me all the time how long it will be until we have Caylie home.  Although there are still steps to be taken (and waited through!) it just depends upon how long each thing takes.  At this point we are praying for spring travel.

 Right now we are waiting for approval from USCIS.  Our application was sent a couple of weeks ago, and they have cashed our check and sent the receipt, so we know things are moving along!  We will wait for an appointment to get digital fingerprinting done sometime in December and hopefully be approved shortly after that.  We are also praying that our dossier can be sent to China in December!

In the meantime, we are preparing for Thanksgiving this Thursday.  The boys are happy to have a short home-schooling schedule this week!  It has been different not teaching at our school this year, and having the boys at home.  We've gotten in a groove, and it's going well, although we miss our school and friends there.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Caylie VIDEO is here!!

Oh my goodness.  You all have to see this!  Our sweet Caylie JiuChang is so, so cute!!  Check out these videos, taken by our agency rep during their visit to the orphanage, and MAKE SURE you have the sound on!  (The little song with be in your head for the rest of the day!  Haha.)  The children are dancing and exercising to a show or recording on the tv.  SO ADORABLE!!  

I tell you, having this video - seeing her "live" and not just in a photo - is a serious game changer.  She is a real, live little girl with a personality!  I mean, I knew that before, but here it is!  

Video 1

Video 2

NEW PHOTOS!!

So happy and excited today!  I opened my email to find a wonderful surprise - eight new pictures of our sweet Caylie JiuChang!  These were taken by our agency rep just a few days ago.  She says the children were doing exercises at the SWI (Social Welfare Institute or orphanage.)  Looks like she was having fun!

She's holding the package that we sent her.  I hope they let her have the little tiger.  There's also a photo album that they will show her when it gets closer to our travel time.
*EDIT*  I just found out that Caylie is in foster care, and this is her foster mother!  So excited to learn this!  So I'm sure that she does get to keep the little tiger.  :)

This man is Larry Bebo, founder of AAC Adoption, our agency.

Waiting . . .

There is nothing much to report on our adoption right now.  Jim and I did our 12-hour training at our agency over the last two Saturdays.  Had a lot of fun with that and met some great people.  Our agency has family events every couple of months, so we look forward to seeing the other adoptive families with their children when they are all home!

Our home study has been sent to the state of Colorado for approval.  Hopefully we will get that back in a day or two, and then our documents can be sent to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for their approval!  That will take 4-6 weeks, and is the final piece of our dossier.  After that, our dossier can finally be sent to China!  So please pray with us that these things do not take any longer than necessary.  We so want our little Caylie to be with us!

Another reminder about our fundraisers:  The Wild Olive Tees sale will run for only three more weeks!  Please have a look at these awesome Scripture t-shirts if you haven't already.  Christmas is coming!  :)

Please continue to pray for our little Caylie, that God would prepare her heart, mind, and spirit for all the changes that will soon occur in her life, and that He would ready her for receiving our love and being a part of our family.  Pray also for us, as we prepare to have our lives change in big ways.  While we know that only our Jesus can heal broken hearts, we want to be used of Him to the fullest.  And for that we must be well-prepared in every way.  Thank you, friends!