So, now that I’ve figured out how to download pictures, maybe I’ll be able to do a few more. Our boys have enjoyed keeping turtles. Our oldest found one last April, and our neighbor boys from across the street found one this Spring, so we now have two. I thought it would be fun to download them here for everyone to share. 
ok, so here are some pictures from Williamsburg finally!!
Yeah, we heard from our family coordinator (FC). She had received our I-171H form and is currently preparing our dossier to be mailed to Dr. D. I feel as though I’ve been holding my breath for weeks. Its time to exhale. Once our FC mails it off, “no news will be good news” is the policy. We probably won’t hear anything until we are about ready to be registered. Be praying it will be sooner not later.
In His Watch Care,
Joy
We still have heard nothing regarding whether our dossier has been sent to Dr. D, or to Russia for that matter. I keep thinking, maybe there will be a big surprise email from our family coordinator saying it has already been sent to Russia!! I’m praying that way!! Keep us in your prayers. I’ll post just as soon as I hear something.
In His Watch Care,
Joy
Well, nothing new to post today, we were hoping to hear from our family coordinator today, but found out she was out of the office early, and won’t be there tomorrow. We’ll have to wait until Monday. We found out today that Dr. D, who will receive our dossier, peruse it, and then send it off for translation is in Russia currently. I think he will be back around the 26th of June. From what I understand, the FC won’t send anything until he is back in the US, so… If she hasn’t already sent it, it won’t go until later this month. The good news though, is that our wait time started when AWAA received our dossier in May. So, as a friend pointed out to me today (thank you Heather o=) our wait is now 8-11 months!! That sounds closer, doesn’t it? She also suggested using a calendar to count down. I think I will take her advice as this will provide visual movement for me even when I don’t hear from our FC. So…that’s all for now. I’ll be praying all weekend for an update on Monday, so pray with us if you think of us. By the way, Brent has told me he doesn’t think our wait will be quite as long as I anticipate. He wouldn’t tell me when he thought, said he might put it in an envelope and open it when its actually here. I told him he needed to tell me his hunch now so I could enjoy it too. He laughed, and said we’ll see. I’m thinking we will be traveling the second time around this next Spring. We’ll see. My brother brought over some clothes their girls had outgrown, that was kind of exciting. It was like when I was pregnant with the boys, people started giving us clothes for them, it’s something tangible for our little girl. I can’t wait to go through them, guess its finally time to start organizing closets!!
In His Watchcare,
Joy
Well, I’ve been reading others blogs, enjoying their stories, loving their videos and pictures. We haven’t heard anything from our agency, but are praying they have received our I171-H form from Raleigh. If we hear anything this week, I’ll post the information. I’m praying they will send our dossier off this week for translation.
We went to Myrtle Beach, SC this weekend to volunteer at the AWAA booth at the Beach Fest there. We had a wonderful time as a family, and were able to meet two families who had adopted, one from Ethiopia just recently, and the other from China. The ones who’d adopted from China were Mike Stone and his family. He is the PR guy for AWAA. Not only did we help pass out information to those interested, and meet these families, we also took some family time. It really turned into a nice family trip. We went to an IMAX theatre, visited Broadway at the Beach(where the theatre is), and ate supper there. We actually ran into three families we knew there. How funny is that? Two were from Corwin’s class this past year, and the other couple we’ve known for years. In the process of talking with them, we found out they are working on paper work to adopt soon.
So…anyway, that was our weekend, we had a great time. I’ll post later this week, hopefully with exciting news!!
In His Watch Care,
Joy
I was thinking today about our journey, and the last few weeks, and it dawned on me, I’d forgotten to share a blessing, one that may seem trivial, but truly a lavishing of God’s love on us. Brent and I enjoy going to the gym, but is an added expense. Where he works has always paid for his membership, but just recently they have increased the amount they will pay. I’m so thankful to get to see how God can work even helping us cut back expenses.
Just thought I’d share.
Thankfully In His Watch Care,
Joy
I just wanted to share a blessing that came our way today. Today was the last day of school for us, and my students and their families went in together and collected money for our adoption. It was such a blessing, and as many of you know a huge help. I’m so thankful for their generosity as well as their continued prayers.
Just wanted to share the Lord’s blessings through people like these.
Another sweet gift we received was a little wicker wagon with pink and white striped material inside. It matches Annalise’s room perfectly. It has been a blessing to have something tangeable for our little girl. o=)
Thankfully In His Watch Care,
Joy