It has been a busy couple of weeks! Addie is thoroughly enjoying school. As soon as I tell her it's time to get ready for school, she high tails it for her bedroom and is so excited to get dressed and get her shoes and socks on.
She also started Hippotherapy and is absolutely in love with it. On her first time the therapists had her riding forward, side saddle both ways, and reverse! The drive home from the stable is about 20 minutes, and I got a play by play the whole way home. I think I got just as much from it as she did! My Uncle Gene has horses, and so she has been on a horse twice before, but was either with me or my Uncle...so to see her up there on her own was so awesome!
Adoption:
Since my last post, we had a very successful Flapjack Fundraiser at the Galseburg, IL Applebees. We are so humbled and blessed by all the support of everyone. We raised about $1400!! Praise God!
Last Thursday we were to be getting the official referral of Sister. However, several weeks ago, the social worker in Ecuador that reviews the family documents prior to assignment had requested some more documents to supplement what was already in our home study and reference letters. The social worker wants to ensure that we are capable to parent two children with Down syndrome. The first letter requested was a letter about family support, respite services, etc and the second letter was about the functioning and level of care for Addie. Of course, the second letter didn't get to Ecuador on time with a fed ex delay....so tomorrow afternoon our agency rep in Ecuador is meeting with the social worker to review our documents. PLEASE PRAY! If this meeting goes well and the social worker approves everything, then we could get our assignment very soon!
I know that they are just trying to be cautious...a couple of years ago a case involving a child with special needs to not go well and the child was removed from the home...so I guess they are covering all grounds....I just wish I could show them the hundreds of families that live here in the states that enjoy and love and thrive in their families of multiple children with Down syndrome. Sister is already part of our family and I just pray that God continues to keep these doors open and gets us past this bump in the road. I can't help but think of the families that have been denied their adoption of kids with Down syndrome for various reasons...having faith..
A huge praise last Thursday is that one of the families that we are walking this journey with did get their assignment. I am so happy for them and pray that even though we have not be assigned, we could still end up traveling about the same time.
The second family that we are walking this road with are to be assigned this Thursday...hopefully, but we also thought they could be assigned the last three Thursdays...so praying for them as well.
Joshua Tree has submitted all the new policies and procedures to the accreditation committee...those items were reviewed on Friday and prayerfully we hope to hear tomorrow that their suspension has been lifted.
I am really praying this week will go as we hope it could. This last week was a very rough one. Between the stress of the adoption ups and downs a friend suddenly lost their three year old daughter. I attended the visitation this afternoon and it was very difficult. There are so many things I know we will not understand this side of heaven, but I sure wish I did. If you think of it, please pray for the VanZee family..the coming weeks will be difficult, but I know that God will carrying them through it.
I am so thankful to be back in a Bible study this fall with a group of women I adore. Shalane and Sheralee are wonderful leaders and have challenged us to be more active with memorizing scripture. I am so excited to see the impact that this will have on all of us!
Until next time...
Showing posts with label fundraiser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fundraiser. Show all posts
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
USCIS Approved for I-800A
After two months we are finally USCIS I-800A approved! We mailed the form on June 18th and the approval was dated Aug. 19th. We received it in the mail on Aug. 24th! (this is for all those future adoptees looking for timelines...because I've been scouring the web for them! LOL)
And, of course, God used this day to further the evidence of His might hand bringing our daughter home. The same day we got our USCIS approval we received a significant donation check in the mail. How cool is that?! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us, not only financially, but emotionally as well...it's been a long road and it's not over yet. =)
So now what? The assignment committee meets in Cuenca on Sept. 15th. So we PRAY PRAY PRAY that our case/dossier will be reviewed and approved. We are on the roster to be reviewed, but there have been times that the committee will reschedule their meeting, or not review all the cases, etc, etc...so we are asking for prayer that the committee does meet on the 15th and that they do review and approve our case!!
Once we are approved with the assignment committee we will get the "official referral" of our little girl. We then submit that referral back to USCIS here in the states and wait for approval of Sister....praying that it doesn't take the 2 months that it took for Zac and I to be approved. Once Sister is USCIS approved we will send that back to Ecuador and then we get a travel date! We are nearing these final steps. So exciting but so much to be praying that all goes without hiccups so that we can spend Christmas in IOWA with our girls! Can I just say how much I enjoy typing GIRLS!!! LOVE IT!!!
We are still throwing around the idea of taking Addie with us...but there are so many what ifs. 6 -8 weeks without her momma would be very hard on her and then to have me come home with another child would just not go well. But with her heart issues she can't be a certain elevations, so I have to check with her cardiologist to get his input. Our pediatrician is willing to send a prescription with us to use if she were to get sick so we could avoid a trip to the dr....but I just don't know what the best answer is and I have yet to feel like God is really pushing us one way or the other. I know that it would be easier on Sister to have the sole attention of Zac and I, but again, I just don't know...something to continue to pray about...
We have a fundraiser coming up on Sept. 17th back in IL where Zac and I grew up at the Applebees in Galseburg. They do "Flapjack Fundraisers"....tickets are $5 and we give Applebees $1 for each ticket sold and the rest is ours...so it's a pretty good deal! Just have to help bus tables and that's it! So if you're in the area, come join us! Sept. 17th 8am-10am.
In non-adoption news Addie has started school and is LOVING it. She comes home so happy and content and her teach has been awesome. She is also riding the bus, which was a very hard decision, but once Sister comes home she'd have to ride the bus then, so we decided that it would be best to start now so it's not such a change later....but the good news is she loves riding the bus and the driver and his rider (picture your grandma and grandpa) are amazing. Every day when they come to drop her off, as the doors of the bus open I always here Addie yelling MOMMA!!! and waving her hands real big...yeah, that will NEVER get old! Love that kid.
Online fundraiser to be coming very soon! Our last push to Bring Sister Home!!!
And, of course, God used this day to further the evidence of His might hand bringing our daughter home. The same day we got our USCIS approval we received a significant donation check in the mail. How cool is that?! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us, not only financially, but emotionally as well...it's been a long road and it's not over yet. =)
So now what? The assignment committee meets in Cuenca on Sept. 15th. So we PRAY PRAY PRAY that our case/dossier will be reviewed and approved. We are on the roster to be reviewed, but there have been times that the committee will reschedule their meeting, or not review all the cases, etc, etc...so we are asking for prayer that the committee does meet on the 15th and that they do review and approve our case!!
Once we are approved with the assignment committee we will get the "official referral" of our little girl. We then submit that referral back to USCIS here in the states and wait for approval of Sister....praying that it doesn't take the 2 months that it took for Zac and I to be approved. Once Sister is USCIS approved we will send that back to Ecuador and then we get a travel date! We are nearing these final steps. So exciting but so much to be praying that all goes without hiccups so that we can spend Christmas in IOWA with our girls! Can I just say how much I enjoy typing GIRLS!!! LOVE IT!!!
We are still throwing around the idea of taking Addie with us...but there are so many what ifs. 6 -8 weeks without her momma would be very hard on her and then to have me come home with another child would just not go well. But with her heart issues she can't be a certain elevations, so I have to check with her cardiologist to get his input. Our pediatrician is willing to send a prescription with us to use if she were to get sick so we could avoid a trip to the dr....but I just don't know what the best answer is and I have yet to feel like God is really pushing us one way or the other. I know that it would be easier on Sister to have the sole attention of Zac and I, but again, I just don't know...something to continue to pray about...
We have a fundraiser coming up on Sept. 17th back in IL where Zac and I grew up at the Applebees in Galseburg. They do "Flapjack Fundraisers"....tickets are $5 and we give Applebees $1 for each ticket sold and the rest is ours...so it's a pretty good deal! Just have to help bus tables and that's it! So if you're in the area, come join us! Sept. 17th 8am-10am.
In non-adoption news Addie has started school and is LOVING it. She comes home so happy and content and her teach has been awesome. She is also riding the bus, which was a very hard decision, but once Sister comes home she'd have to ride the bus then, so we decided that it would be best to start now so it's not such a change later....but the good news is she loves riding the bus and the driver and his rider (picture your grandma and grandpa) are amazing. Every day when they come to drop her off, as the doors of the bus open I always here Addie yelling MOMMA!!! and waving her hands real big...yeah, that will NEVER get old! Love that kid.
Online fundraiser to be coming very soon! Our last push to Bring Sister Home!!!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Fundraising, Adoption, and DS Convention Update
We had our second adoption fundraiser garage sale a couple weeks ago. We ended up raising $1300!!!! Praise God! Just another confirmation that this is HIS plan. My amazing friend Sarah and I have done garage sales every year for the past 3 years and NEVER have we made that much money...usually $300 or so....it just amazes me. Seriously in awe of the God we serve! Thank you to all who came out and shopped, donated items to sell, and just simply supported us!! THANK YOU!
Last week, Addie and I were so blessed to be able to travel to San Antonio to the National Down Syndrome Conference. Zac, Addie, my mom, and my cousin and I went last year, so it was a bit different just going with Addie and I. But with trying to save every single extra dime to bring Sister home, it was best to just go with Addie and I. We had a hard time deciding to go until the Lord provided our hotel room to us for FREE!! Thank you Amy and Maria!!! Then, we received TWO conference scholarships...one from our local DS support group and the other from Family 2 Family Iowa. SO THANKFUL! We would not have been able to go had it not been for all of these things happening. Addie and I had an AMAZING time and were able to catch up with people we met last year, as well as meet so many new families. LOVE LOVE LOVE our DS friends. SO THANKFUL! I was terrible about taking pics, but so many people have posted pics to my FB page, so feel free to go and take a look! I'm still trying to get them all saved to my computer so I can get them posted on here!
As far as our adoption....well...it is going....slow, but it is moving along....still waiting for our USCIS approval. Another family that is adopting finally got their approval after 18 weeks! (we're in our 8th week of waiting) We know that this is all in God's timing, so I am trying to be patient but it is SO HARD! Once we receive our USCIS approval then we submit our dossier to Ecuador, then we will receive the official referal of Sister, then we submit that to USCIS for approval of Sister here in the states, THEN...we wait for a travel date....so we are still PRAYING HARD that we will be getting Sister before Christmas. It makes me sick to my stomach that we might not make it before Christmas...but we can only pray.
We have raised about $8K and still have another almost $9K left to go (see chipin icon on sidebar)...we will be having an online fundraiser coming up in the next couple of weeks! So thankful for all of the support!
I will try to get pictures posted soon!
Last week, Addie and I were so blessed to be able to travel to San Antonio to the National Down Syndrome Conference. Zac, Addie, my mom, and my cousin and I went last year, so it was a bit different just going with Addie and I. But with trying to save every single extra dime to bring Sister home, it was best to just go with Addie and I. We had a hard time deciding to go until the Lord provided our hotel room to us for FREE!! Thank you Amy and Maria!!! Then, we received TWO conference scholarships...one from our local DS support group and the other from Family 2 Family Iowa. SO THANKFUL! We would not have been able to go had it not been for all of these things happening. Addie and I had an AMAZING time and were able to catch up with people we met last year, as well as meet so many new families. LOVE LOVE LOVE our DS friends. SO THANKFUL! I was terrible about taking pics, but so many people have posted pics to my FB page, so feel free to go and take a look! I'm still trying to get them all saved to my computer so I can get them posted on here!
As far as our adoption....well...it is going....slow, but it is moving along....still waiting for our USCIS approval. Another family that is adopting finally got their approval after 18 weeks! (we're in our 8th week of waiting) We know that this is all in God's timing, so I am trying to be patient but it is SO HARD! Once we receive our USCIS approval then we submit our dossier to Ecuador, then we will receive the official referal of Sister, then we submit that to USCIS for approval of Sister here in the states, THEN...we wait for a travel date....so we are still PRAYING HARD that we will be getting Sister before Christmas. It makes me sick to my stomach that we might not make it before Christmas...but we can only pray.
We have raised about $8K and still have another almost $9K left to go (see chipin icon on sidebar)...we will be having an online fundraiser coming up in the next couple of weeks! So thankful for all of the support!
I will try to get pictures posted soon!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Working hard to bring Sister home!
Here is the flyer for our fundraiser...THANK YOU to Lindsay for designing the flyer!
Thank you to Heather for managing the bake sale!
Thank you to Bethany for helping bring in donations!
Some of the items in the silent auction
Plasma Car from Intelligent Life Toys
Stampin Up Sets from
Destiny bracelet from FunkyFish Designs
Bow's/Tutu's by Jill basket
handmade stationary by Celeste
Family portrait session by Tanya
Pampered Chef basket
homemade noodles by Cheryl
handmade cards by Jamie
31 basket
Norwex basket
Lia Sophia basket
Mary Kay basket
Three pictures from Lemstone Christian Bookstore
Marion Pool passes
Veggie Tales DVD's from Family Christian Bookstore
Sauce basket from Buffalo Wild Wings
I'll keep adding as they come it! Can't wait!
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