August update

August is really almost over!!! Hard to believe! It's been an incredibly busy month. Loaded to the gills with fun and lots of work! 

On the 10th Steve & I celebrated eleven years of marriage!! We had a blessed day together, ALONE. Ah, it was so refreshing and relaxing to have no one else to care for and just focus on us. The whole day was covered with God's blessing and sweetness. My heart feels so full of gratitude to be married to such a noble and loving Man of God. ....

We are excited about our future together......

We LOVE DREAMING together......

We love parenting together......

We love that every year we grow deeper in love and in our commitment to each other. We have gone through some really hard things together, but Because of Jesus, it has drawn us closer to each other.




Anticipating many more years of God's favor TOGETHER. Best Fiends and soul mates. Thank you Jesus!




GARDENING! That's the word that describes August. Lots and lots of it.

Sampling our very first watermelon! From garden to mouth! Cant get better than that!!

Proof that I can actually grow melons!! Rather proud of it! I never grew any before but will def be trying it again. The watermelon wasn't overly ripe. Never having grown one before I wasn't sure how to tell when the thing was ripe. It was still yummy.

Garden Goodies! I cant believe the abundance we had despite competing with massive weeds all year. I feel so richly blessed! The children love gardening as much as I do. We get to do hands on science!! We love talking about the ways we see God in creation. From sticking a tiny seed in dirt to watching a spindly plant grow strong from sun and rain to harvesting it's fruit.

 This year we enjoyed Corn, Broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, okra, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes.  And Derek's pumpkins. He has the above small carving kind and some mega prize winners still in the garden.

 Does eggplant smell yummy?? Baby dear likes to sniff everything!

Speaking of egg plant, I really enjoyed some of the new dishes I tried. The family, not so much. I am the only one who eats the okra too!

The month was filled with hauling semi loads of peaches up every week for the Amish communities. I canned over 50 quart and was so amazed at the help I had! Karilee cut the peaches and Derek filled Jars. Can't forget to mention my mom! She is the fastest peeler I know and peeled 2 bushel peaches for me faster than I could keep up with!

As much as I enjoy this season of putting food away for the winter, I'm ready to see it come to an end. My house feel's sticky from all the canning and I am anxious to house clean it from top to bottom. Anxious at least for the clean organized feeling!

I'm ready to throw my focus on home schooling and doing projects inside the house. A season for everything!!

As for the adoption.... We received our approval from US immigrations (I800). This is our final document and it is on it's way to Albany to get authenticated. As soon as we have it back we will send it to NYcity for the final stamp and then our entire dossier is ready for China!! We will mail it to our agency and they will send it to China. Feel's like we've been waiting forever and like things move at a snails pace, but I'm learning to be okay with that. Embracing the moment, and knowing our new son will join our family in God's perfect time. Hoping it's sooner than later :)

Picture Post..

Some snapshots from the last few weeks. In no particular order.....

Enjoying the summer so much!

Found Karilee & Derek like this early one morning when I got up. One got scared during the night, called to a sibling and both came down to snuggle in the living room. When I asked them later why they were both on the recliner they said because the leather couch was too cold :)

Derek ready to go off the diving board. Both Karilee & Derek took a 2 wk swimming class and enjoyed it so much, and learned alot! So worth it! And will def be doing it more!!

Summer eve fishing. Something Steve & the kids enjoy. "Mom, can you help me dig worms"

So glad I remembered to snap a shot of one of the many "forts" the kids build in the living room. Its worth putting up with the mess for the fun it gives them. Love the creativity!! 

I see you Derek!! 

Sometimes its lining up all the chairs they can find and making a bed under neath! 

Miss Climber  pushes a chair to the counter to reach a favorite perch. Added bonus is having a water faucet to play with. Hopefully mom wont find her too quickly. 

Love how she props her feet while she eats:) 

First year to pick strawberries from our own garden! So rewarding and fun for all of us!! The children love having strawberry freezer jam again! 

"Help Mom!!" This is what I found when I went to investigate. lol I've often regretted not getting a front loader washer so it would be more child freindly to change laundry loads.  

Peaceful slumber ...(in mommys bed for a nap) 

A surprise foot massage from a 6 yr old. Talk about feeling love!!
Said this son one day, "Mom you always look nice, but today you look DOUBLE nice!" Awe!!

We've been enjoying the sun, sand and water alot this summer. 

Yes life truly is GOOD!

Hoping for a referral! :)

This past Tuesday Steve & I had the scheduled conference call with our adoption case worker. This was the final requirement before our family could qualify to receive a referral for a waiting child.....for our son!

We are SO thrilled to be at this stage. We still have a few final documents we are waiting on before our dossier can be sent to China. (Praying the I800 will process swiftly!)

Our wonderful case worker went over the various ways that we could get matched with a child.
Every month (usually the last Monday of the month) China sends a new batch of referrals . These are shared referrals which means that many adoption agencies all over the world have access to them. If one of these referral's would match what our family is requesting in gender, age and special need, our agency is allowed to lock this child's referral for 72 hrs while we view the referral which will include photos of the child, medical records  and description of the child. We are required to review his medical record with a Doctor so we can be given a more clear idea of what medical care he may need before me make a decision. ( We have "Jadrian's cardiology Dr's all lined up to help when the time comes!) It is comforting to work with skilled Doctors that we know and trust.

They would like us to make a decision within 48 hrs because of the paperwork we would quickly need to process before the 72 hr time line is up. If we would say "YES" the file would be permanently locked but if we say "NO" the referral will be put back on the shared list so another family can be matched.

Another way to be matched with your child is what they call "Agency Specific". Our agency has partnered with around 10 orphanages in China. These orphanages will send referrals only to the agencies they have partnered with. If we receive a referral this way we have 10 days to review the file and talk to a doctor. It will allow our Dr to submit any questions he or we might have back to China. Or we could request additional photos, videos etc.

Unlike the shared referrals that are guaranteed to come at a certain time every month, agency specific referrals are completely unpredictable. They never know when or if they will get the next batch of referral's. Some months they may get a bunch and the next month none.

We could also find a child on a waiting list. Again,whether that child would even be a possibility for us depends on what agency he is with, if its a shared referral or agency specific. And also what stage we are at with our paperwork.

Another thing we needed to know is that because our dossier isn't logged in China yet we can only receive a referral that is classed as a shared or special focus. Once we are given our LID (log in Date) we will be eligible for reviewing any file.

Kind of complicated, right?! We were told we could get matched soon, in a couple weeks or it could be months.  We know God will direct our hearts with HIS peace to the child HE intends to be part of our family.
We were disappointed to hear that from the time of being matched till travel time is usually around 5 months! Will I ever get used to HOW LOOONG everything takes!  Our DREAM would be that we could get matched SOON and bring him home by the end of this year....but that will take a miracle :) I'm still praying for it though!!

In God's time! He makes ALL things beautiful in His time! We pray a lot that God would be preparing sweet China boy to receive the love of a family. To receive a love he may never have known before.
As we wait, God continues to prepare us too. We've been thinking a lot about the new name we will be giving him. I thought we had it all decided, but it seems like God might be giving us a new name for him, and I'm excited about that too because it will be a name that speaks of God's destiny and plans for His life.  A name that confirms who he is ment to be.

Little treasure, we cant wait to speak life over your sad hurting soul. What the devil intended for evil God intends for good! Your life will be, and is, a testimony of God's loving redemption.

Home Study APPROVED!!

 These important documents arrived in the mail today!!! Yay! This is so exciting! Not only is it proof of reaching a big mile stone in the adoption process, but it allows us to move on to one of the final stages of paperwork....

Applying for our I-800 from the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)

These words put a huge smile on my face!

The I-800 application is us asking permission to bring an immigrant into the country. We could not apply for this until we had a finalized home study to send along. We intent to mail it out tomorrow!

The processing time frame is roughly 1 1/2 - 2 month so we are anxious to get the ticker started! (Pray for a speedy process!) After mailing our I-800 application they will send us a receipt to notify us that our documents have arrived and logged into the system.

Then we will receive a notice by mail that will give us the appointment time and location of where we  get finger printed.
After that they will issue our approval. That form is one of the most important documents because it is what allows international children to be brought back to the United States.

One paper at a time sweet boy!

And after we receive that approval our dossier is ready to be sent to China!

Next up in the adoption process......one we've been waiting on for a long time. The very thing we've been doing all this paperwork for....
                   
......................Receiving a referral! We will be having a conference call with our agency to discuss the details of how this next phase works. But now that our home study is finalized our family is eligible to be matched with a child! (happy dance!) But how that works will be an update for next time!

So long my friends!

Whats been happening...

I know its high time for another update!

My! Did the month of May ever fly by fast! We are all LOVING this beautiful early summer season.   We love our country land so much and are enjoying being outside a lot! I love gardening and am hoping for a good yield dispite our poor clay soil (that I'm trying to doctor up!)

Karilee has her own garden plot. I just love watching my children enjoy nature. Love seeing them get dirty, play hard all day,  then scrub them clean at bedtime and tuck them in at night. We are so enjoying this stage of life with our children. SO relieved to have school over for awhile!

Anyway, I'm getting distracted! I really came on here to give an update on the adoption! We continue to do a lot of waiting :) In the month of May our social worker completed the draft of our home study. But at that same time our family coordinator from the adoption agency got married and took off 3 weeks for her marriage & honey moon. Dose'nt she know that all adoption and social workers are never allowed to go on vacation!!? Totally joking of course! We are so happy for her, but were thrilled once she got back and was able to approve our home study. Well, at least WE were hoping she would read it and give us the big APROOVED  stamp, but instead we got a long list of additional edits that needed to be made. When I read that email I seriously felt like crying! This paperwork can be so intimidating. Wonder if anyone else feels that way. I feel like I have to proove that I will be a PERFECT parent, that I have thought through every possible scenario...This journey is very new to us, and we have no prior experiance in parenting an adopted child, but we have FAITH!
Faith that the one who called us will show us the way & give us wisdom for each decision and difficulty we may face as we integrate our China boy into our family! But China dosent want just faith, they want FACTS! So I spent most of a day on the phone with a fussy teething baby bouncing on my hip. Researching Early intervention and preschool therapies that are offered through our state, and also through our local school system.

I  needed to find out what our community has to offer in tutors for English as a second language.

I had to explain how we plan to incorporate our child's Chinese heritage into our home. How will we help him understand his culture? And who have we spoken to that have adopted older children.

That was some of the additional info I had to gather.  We have had to answer so many questions about how will we do x y and z, that it would'nt surprise me if we soon had to make a list of every item of clothing we intend to have him wear, and if its knit or cotton!  On that day, I felt like I NEVER ever want to go through all the stress of  paper work ever again, but I imagine you forget the paper work woes kind of like memories of labor pains can fade.

When I feel overwelmed, it always helps me to step away  for a bit and refocus. Drink a cup of coffee...... feel God speaking to my heart....."I will finish the work I have begun.....Do not be weary in well doing..."   AH, deep breath! God is always faithful! Soon I feel the grace to make the next phone call etc. and whats most precious of all, is that love deep in my heart for this child I'm working hard to bring home.. It's that love that reminds me to keep plodding when I'm weary.  Every step brings us closer.......

And we are moving right along..... We mailed our first set of documents to the Chinese Consulate in New York City this week. We have 18 of 20 documents Done and ready for this FINAL stamp!! First they needed notorized, then county certified, then certified by the secretary of state and then last of all authenticated by the Chinese consulate.

The consulate only accept's documents by either hand delivery or courier so we send the packet to a courier in NY City so he can walk them into the  Consulate and hand deliver them for us. It cost's $30 per document. (That includes both the Consulate & the courier fees).

The last 2 documents we are waiting on are the final home study and the I800 (immigrations). We have the paperwork for the I800 all ready to send out as soon as we have a home study packet to send along with it.

I'll update as soon as we can take the next step :)

Enjoy the beautiful sunshine!!  And remind yourself that you are deeply loved by your Father!

Drawer Obsession & cuteness

I think you can see why I've been forming the opinion that KK might have an obsession going on with drawers. Climbing IN them and emptying them being the two favorite. I was telling Steve recently how very often I find her like this. And how very very often I need to fold and refold clothing that was neatly folded and organized in drawers.

She's just so sneaky quiet...disappering into a room and this is how we find her.

And the frig...she makes a beeline for the open door the moment you chance to reach in to take out a jug of milk an dset it on the counter. Turn around, and she's already clearing shelves.

My sewing cabinet...I've given up trying to organize crafts & sewing supplies in those drawers. Even the straight pins dont scare her. She loves playing with them (until I find her & confiscate them!)

                                                           No drawer is too small!!

Two of her favorite spots. Kitchen sink cabinet and the dishwasher

Oh yes, Writing on the walls is the latest fun discovery. (thank the Lord for washable markers & pray the few permanent ones stay FAR out of her reach!)

What she did to my neat stacks of pictures I was scrap booking. She even tore photos off completed pages......

And it dosent matter if we are visiting else where. This was at Aunt Mary Lous!

So busy, but so sweet. Her eyes melt me over and over. 

                                              You are so full of discoveries right now,

                                                       love those sticky hands!

                              Disposition changes without notice!!!!!

                 
                    Sweet baby girl, some days your energy makes this mommy exhausted. As I write this, I had to rush to the laundry room where you dumped a whole box of fruit loops on the floor. What a fun pile of colorful balls! Oh my! What were you doing in the laundry room with a box of cereal anyway!?  I feel like a broken record reminding your siblings MANY times a day to "Latch the door tight behind you!" that includes most of the doors in this house!  

Look at your bright face and sweet smile! How we love you, busy bee and all!

Lord, as I mother today, help me to remember to enjoy the moment. Dumped out drawers, scribbled walls and all.....

Happy Birthday Dear Derek!!

Celebrating six wonderful years with our oldest son Derek! What a gift your life is to us, sweet son! Your personality is so like your daddy in many ways!I love watching the close bond between you two. Saturdays are your favorite days because, as you always say, "Good! Then I get to be with daddy all day!"

 You were very pleased to be free from all chores and school on your birthday! But you suggested that since you dont need to do school maybe I could just read history to you instead! You LOVE history and never tire hearing about Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and all the great founding fathers.

Your requested birthday meals were scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon for breakfast.
Shrimp, macaroni and cheese,  root beer and ICE CREAM Cake! yummy!

Your birthday was extra fun with special friends to share it with. .....
and you were super impressed with your gift from daddy & mommy. A mini four wheeler, just your size! Just like daddy had when he was your age! We smile from the window as we watch you spin around !!

You are so loved Derek!! We often feel pained that you don't have your little brother here playing beside you. You and Jadrian would be so darling tousling together! You are so excited about getting a brother from China. We love your kind compassionate heart and know you will continue to be a wonderful, fun and protecting big brother to your siblings!
More than anything, we desire you to live life to the fullest from your heart. To become ALL that God created you, Derek Ray Glick to be!  Because YOU were created for a special purpose!
You make our home brighter and sweeter. Love you to the moon and back!!!