Family of 7 - Smile!

Ok so here's my confession...a photo session with a family of seven is challenging!  Getting everyone dressed and ready (and staying that way) was a challenge all in itself!  And then we headed out in the heat and humidity and it got even more interesting...

This pic pretty much sums it up :)

Thankfully we had an amazing photographer, our family pastor's wife, Kelli (http://www.kellijoy.com).  She caught some beautiful moments and we're so thankful!  We're quite a bunch, but I wouldn't trade this bunch for anything! Smile!

 

 

 

                 

Our Journey continued...

I've been trying to decide how to finish the story of our journey to DRC to bring our kiddos home.  Trying to decide what words to say and how much to share (at least in a public way) - it's not an easy decision.

After going back and forth over the course of the past few weeks, here's what I've decided to share...

The 2 weeks we spent in DRC were the most difficult 2 weeks of our lives. However, it was a necessary part of the process and looking back now I see how God used those 2 weeks to bond Jeff and I together as a pretty awesome team - even more awesome than we were before! :) 

I will share one tid-bit - our trip home seems sort of comical and almost surreal now, but at the time it was 27 hrs and 4 flights of sheer chaos.  Our little ones slept for about 6-7 hrs total and the rest of the time, they cried, screamed and pretty much disrupted the peace of every traveler we shared space with! Jeff and I decided, when we touched down in Charlotte, that we didn't care to ever board another plane again! :)

We arrived home on Friday, March 8.  Thankfully, my mom and dad decided to stay on with us for an additional couple of weeks.  Jeff and I were both incredibly sick and having extra hands around the house was such a blessing!  

After my parents had been home for a few weeks, my mom sent me an email that I will forever treasure.  I'll share a bit of it...

Those first couple of weeks sure were a true test of all your parenting skills and stretched you almost beyond measure.  We could only stand amazed at the extra portion of love and patience God gave you both.  As you worked together to guide and train them to learn to trust and obey you, they settled into their place in the family and began to feel at home.  We could see them respond to that very love you desperately desired them to know.  

I thank the Lord that you gave us the opportunity to experience this great event in your lives.  We saw first hand the working of God in your family, in our family, and we are so proud.  It thrills our heart to see how it has all worked together to bring glory to His name.

We've been home now for almost 2 months and here's what I know to be true:

Finding a "new normal" is hard work!

We have an amazing family - our older girls have handled this transition incredibly well!

We're making progress with A and J each and every day!

Watching their little hearts open and seeing them learn what it means to receive and give real love is pretty miraculous!

I read this on another adoptive mom's facebook wall and I think it sums up where we're at so perfectly:

"I have concluded that I do not want an easy, pain-free life.  Rather I want to stand before God sweaty, tired and broke because I invested my life and resources in the Kingdom of God and for the benefit of others."

Amen.

They just don't come much cuter than this!

A Journey We'll Never Forget!

We finally got the call telling us it was time to pack up and head to the DRC. We booked our tickets for Thursday, Feb 21st - flying out of Charlotte at 7:30am.  My mom and dad came into town the week before to stay with our girls while Jeff and I were gone.  The Wednesday night before we left was pretty sleepless.  I kept reminding myself that God had already gone before us - there was nothing that would happen that would take Him by surprise - I didn't realize at the time how truly important it would be for me to remember that!

Jeff and I got to the airport at 5:00am and boarded the shuttle that would take us from the parking lot to the terminal.  The gal driving the bus asked where we were headed.  We told her our story and she asked if we had pictures of the kids.  Jeff showed her the picture of Jayce with his huge smile and she said, "well he sure has his momma's smile, doesn't he."  It made my morning!

Our flight from Charlotte to Washington DC was short and sweet!  At 10:30am we boarded the plane that would take us to Addis, Ethiopia.  It was about a 12 hr flight, but with the time difference, we landed in Addis on Friday at 7:15am.  After about a 45 minute layover in Addis, we boarded a plane headed to Kinshasa.  We landed in Kinshasa at 1pm.  Getting through the Kinshasa airport wasn't bad, but we did have to wait about an hour to get our 1 checked bag - and it was SO hot!  Our Guest House driver was waiting for us and we began the 45 min drive to where we'd be staying. The drive to the Guest House is one I will never forget.  First of all, Jeff and I were both sooo hot (and quite a mess from a day and a half of traveling, I might add).  The road we traveled was lined with colorful beach-type umbrellas with people selling and buying everything you can imagine.  Mixed in to the chaos were trash, old broken down vehicles, masses of people - some carrying baskets on their heads filled with bananas, apples and bread.   The road was a flurry of activity - honking horns, vans jammed packed full of people - some hanging out the windows - people walking, riding bikes, 3 people to a motorcycle.  There were no real lanes to the road - just 2 sides - they just fit as many vehicles as they could across.  Our driver was a pro!  He carried on a very enthusiastic conversation while somehow maneuvering successfully through the traffic.  We finally turned off from this main road on to a dirt, pot-hole filled road that took us to our Guest House.  We honked at the Guest House entrance and the big gates opened.

  

Here are the views from our Guest House balcony.
Here are the 2 rooms that we spent 2 weeks in with 2 kiddos - can you say FUN?!  Not.

 

Yes, there was only 1 bed for 4 of us - so you guessed it - Jeff slept on the leopard couch. :)

Upon our arrival we met Rachel (a fellow CCI momma) - it was such a treat to see a friendly face!  Rachel was incredibly helpful getting us settled in!  Shortly after we arrived, Dito (our in-country representative/social worker) came to greet us.  We hadn't planned on meeting the kids until the next day, but Dito said "you're here, we'll bring your kids!"  So we quickly showered and got ready for our first meeting with Jayce and Alli!  I had tried hard not to imagine what this first meeting would be like and I'm glad I hadn't built it up in my head.  Honestly, it happened so fast, I hardly remember what we said or did.  Dito brought Miriam (our kids foster mom for the past 5 months) and the kids to the Guest House.  I do remember thinking that Miriam must have prepared them well because they came running into our room with hugs for mama and papa.  We talked for a bit with Miriam about schedules, medication the kids were on, what they like to eat, etc, etc.  She graciously answered all our questions (with Dito translating) and then she and Dito headed out.

The kids with Miriam.  You'll notice Alli's extensions.  Miriam had put them in, but Alli wasn't feeling it.  We spent the next day cutting each braid, unbraiding and then twisting the extensions off her hair - yikes!  It was a lot of work!
I'm writing this on borrowed time and naptime appears to be over...so, I'll have to continue later.  Stay tuned for Part 2!

First Things First...Community is a Beautiful Thing!

We finally made it home after spending 2 weeks in the DRC.  I have much to share about our journey, but first things first.  I am quite behind on all the happenings that led up to our departure on Feb 21st.

We are so thankful for the friends that surround us!  Living 800+ miles from all of our family, friends become a life-line.  A couple weeks before Jeff and I left for the DRC a group of sweet friends planned an incredible surprise for me!  

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are pictures of a very special evening!

 

 

           


















The night ended with all these sweet women forming a circle around my girls and I, laying hands on us and praying for each part of our journey and for each member of our family.  It was a picture of true community and so beautiful!

Gotcha Day - Friday, February 22, 2013

Gotcha Day was Friday, February 22!  I have so much to share, but it will have to wait.  We are still in DRC and incredibly busy with our little ones!  Once we get home I promise to share pictures!  Until then, Happy Gotcha Day to Jayce and Alli!

And we're off...

Tomorrow morning we board a plane and head to DRC - to our little ones. This is the day we have planned for, prayed for and dreamt about.  It's finally here!

The range of emotions is hard to put into words, but my momma-heart is overflowing!

Jeff is concentrating on getting us safely through the airports and to our Guest House in Kinshasa, but my mind seems to skip over all that and lands on Saturday.

Saturday morning we'll meet our kiddos face-to-face for the first time.  We've tried not to build up any expectations of what this meeting will be like, but my prayer is that God has been preparing and speaking into their little hearts. That in that moment (and in thousands of moments to come) they will know they are safe, protected, chosen and loved.

Tomorrow we're off...we'll update as much as we can! :)

Embassy Appointment Update

The January 30th Embassy Appt went off without a hitch - praise God!  We're now just waiting to hear from the Embassy that the kid's visas have been approved.  We're getting super close to heading to DRC to bring our little loves home!

We'll let you know when we've got some travel news! :)

Embassy Update

The January 23rd Embassy appointment didn't end up happening as planned.  Our lawyer's representative did take A and J to the Embassy, but the Embassy wouldn't see them because this representative wasn't authorized to attend this meeting.  After a call from our Director, the misunderstanding was cleared up and it was understood that another appointment would need to be scheduled.
We received an email from the Embassy today saying that our re-do appointment will be this coming Wednesday, January 30.  We're praying that everything will go smoothly this time around!

This is what "nesting" looks like...

Between the normal "nesting" that happens right before you bring new additions into your family and all the shows that my girls and I have been watching on HGTV, some serious cleaning/organizing/re-doing has been going on at our house!

Here's what we accomplished this weekend!

A and J's Bedroom

Kid's Bathroom

That's what you call a productive weekend! 

Letter of Invitation!

We received our Letter of Invitation yesterday!  The light at the end of this very long tunnel is getting pretty bright!
We've had many people comment on the length of our process - it has been LONG!  But I want to clarify that our process with the twins really hasn't even hit the 1 year mark.  It's just that the road getting to A and J was pretty twisty and turn-y.
We first started out heading towards Ethiopia, but then ended up switching agencies and countries, when we accepted the referral for a little girl in the DRC.  In February of 2012, we lost that referral.  On March 30, 2012 we accepted the referral of Shako and Omba (aka little A and J).  Our process from there has looked like this:
April 13 - sent 2 documents to Assistant Stork to be authenticated in Washington DC
April 23 - our authenticated documents and amended home study met up
May 16 - sent our request for i600/171h changes - these changes needed to be made because we added a child! :)
June 11 - received i600 (revised) approval in mail
July 5 - found out we passed Court #1 in DRC
September 13 - sent immigration paperwork to CCI (our agency)
September 24 - received Adoption Judgement document - passed Court #2 in DRC
October 24 - 30 day non-appeal period is over
October 25 - received Certificate of Non-Appeal and Adoption Deeds for both children
November 9 - paperwork sent to Immigration (stateside) - approval should come in 1-4 weeks
November 11 - received new Birth Certificates for both children
November 12 - received translations on CONA and Adoption Deeds
November 13 - received translations on Birth Certificates
November 15 - 2nd biometrics appt  - our 1st set of fingerprints expired, so we needed to do a 2nd
November 28 - Yellow Fever vaccinations
December 10 - kids passports are ready
January 10, 2013 - 1st Embassy Appt - our lawyer, JB, is present
January 15 - received Letter of Invitation from DRC
January 17 - sent our visa application, passports and yellow fever cards to DRC Embassy in Washington, DC
Coming up...January 23 - 2nd Embassy Appt for JB and A and J

There it is - what this past year has looked like - we did a lot of checking our mailbox and our email inbox!
Just a step or 2 more to go!  We'll keep you up-to-date! :)

Determination

As some of you may or may not know, I'm part of the Children's Ministry Staff at our church, Southbrook.  Each month in HarborTown (our Elementary program), we focus on a new virtue that's reflected in God's character.  In the month of January it's Determination.  Determination is deciding it's worth it to finish what you start.

Our adoption journey has definitely been an exercise in determination. When we started our Home Study process over 2 years ago, we had no idea the roller coaster ride we were in for.  

But this morning, as I was praying for our Lawyer in DRC as he meets with the Embassy today and for our kids health and safety and for their little hearts to begin to soften and prepare - I felt a new sense of determination. The finish line is in sight and it feels like that last spurt of energy and enthusiasm is surging!  

And then I thought about you!  Those of you who have been praying right along with us and I was thankful for the determination that you've shown as well!  Each time we've asked for prayer, you've been ready and willing and I can't even begin to express how much that has meant to us!

I can't wait to share with A and J, all the amazing people that prayed for them and loved them even before they came home!  

So thank you!  

Thank you for sticking with us, for sharing in our excitement each time there is a new bit of news and for being determined to help us pray our little ones home!

Happy Friday!

Some days you just need a reminder of what's important...

This was today's reminder for me!

This was A and J at their Embassy Medical Visit.  

We're so close to wrapping them up in our arms!

Happy Friday!

In the midst of quiet...

It's quiet at my house right now!  This past week has been busy with Christmas and friends and everyone home from school and work...it's been hard to find a quiet moment.  But this morning, JT and Anni are off to a soccer clinic and Abbi and Averi are still sleeping.  Otis, our new puppy (yes, we're a little bit crazy!) was up at his normal 5am, but he's settled in to his crate with his bone and is quite content for the moment.

In the midst of quiet, I've been thinking over all that the next weeks will hold for our family.  We were very aware this Christmas, that next Christmas will look very different.  It's exciting, overwhelming and a tad bit sad all wrapped up together.

At work we recently took a strengths test - my result is that I'm "paced" - timing, flow and ample opportunity to plan are all very important to me - shocker! :)  In light of that, I understand how important it is for me to quickly find a new flow each time I encounter change - a new "normal".  

I'm under no delusions - I know our home is about to be turned inside out and upside down, but I'm praying that God will give us the wisdom and insight to quickly find a new normal, a flow that will work for our new expanded family.

I know many of you are praying faithfully for our family - we appreciate that so much!  I would ask that as we get closer and closer to bringing our little ones home that you would pray specifically for God to pour His extravagant grace on our home - that it would fill each crack and each gap and that each of our hearts would be saturated with love for one another - the kind of love that believes the best and has incredible hope in the story God is writing for our family!

We sent an email to the Embassy in Kinshasa yesterday asking for an invitation to travel.  We just need them to say the word - "come".

Merry Christmas 2012

 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Adoption Update

We've been updating what's happening adoption-wise on Facebook, but I haven't done a good job of keeping the blog up-to-date - sorry about that.

It's been a busy month and we're definitely making great progress!  Here's where we're at -

We're waiting for Immigration Approval - they told us we should hear something within 1-4 weeks.  We're sitting at just under 2 weeks right now. So we're hoping we'll hear something any day now!

We go on Wednesday to get our Yellow Fever vaccination - this is needed before we can get permission to travel into DRC.  

We have been super hopeful that we would be traveling before the end of  2012 to bring our little ones home, but on Wednesday we got word of some serious unrest in The Congo.  I won't go into all the details, but a rebel force has taken over a city called Goma and are threatening that Kinshasa (where J and A are) is next.  The Embassy in Kinshasa is alerting Americans to leave Kinshasa - which we assume means that they aren't going to be giving permission for any other Americans to travel in.  Our Director hasn't heard anything concrete from our lawyer, JB, on this - so right now we're just speculating - which we really don't like to do.

Bottom line is that this conflict could certainly hamper progress with our case, but we're choosing to be positive and hopeful.  God certainly isn't surprised by what's happening in DRC right now and we'll trust that His mighty hand will protect our children and guide our progress towards them.

30 Days of Thankfulness - let's call this Day #17 through the end :)

We were able to spend Thanksgiving with our family in MI this year.  So thankful for the opportunity to catch up with everyone!   We have been blessed with an amazing family!  

Let me give you a recap:

LOTS of eating, LOTS of shopping (Grandma T and Abbi made it an all-night, all-day event), LOTS of talking and laughing, LOTS of kids, which of course, means LOTS of noise and most importantly, LOTS of love!

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day #16-20

Ok, so I'm behind again.  It's certainly not because I'm not thankful each and every day - we just have been so busy, it's been hard to find time to post.  So I'll do a little catch up today. :)

The last few days I've been so thankful for and proud of our daughters ~

Abbi took part in her high school's Miss Warrior Pageant and did a fantastic job!  Averi had her Sports Banquet and was awarded for her dedication to being the very best cheerleader she can be (despite a less than stellar situation with her squad) and Anni auditioned for and won the part of Midge in her upcoming school play, The Adventures of Robin Hood.  

Love, Love, Love them!

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day #14 and #15

As temperatures have dipped quite low lately, I'm so thankful for a warm home - for the ability to turn up the heat, turn on the fireplace and pour a hot cup of coffee.  There are so many who don't have this ability.  I'm reminded not to take it for granted!

I'm also thankful for JT's employer that allows him to take mornings off for running adoption errands - like today's biometrics appointment! :)

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day #12 and #13

We definitely have adoption stuff to be THANKFUL for - we now have our CONA and Adoption Deeds translated and we received the kids new birth certificates (they should be translated by the end of the week).  Our Director is working on our "Invitation to Travel" letter and we'll be applying for our Visas soon.  We're also scheduled for our Yellow Fever vaccinations this week - although I'm not sure that qualifies as something I'm necessarily thankful for! :)

We're incredibly thankful for God moving His mighty hand!  And for our Agency working so hard on our behalf!  We're also beyond thankful for all of those who are praying for us!

We literally just got our translated Birth Certificates - WooHoo!  Another thing to be super thankful for today!

30 Days of Thankfulness - Days #8-11

Ok, so we found out on Thursday that our Immigration paperwork was sent out - we now wait 1-4 weeks for approval!  The thankfulness for that has stretched out for several days now! :)  We're close! Having our little ones home before the end of 2012 is looking more and more promising!

 

The last couple of days I also have been thankful for our beautiful Carolina weather.  These sunny, 70 degree days are perfect in my book!