Rollercoaster of a week

So it's been a week of both Highs and Lows.  This weekend we had our garage sale for the adoption and raised the exact funds needed to pay for all six of our Visa's and the courier fee.   Only God could have made this happen!  Then on Monday  I received an email that our LOA was at our agencies office.  They sent me a PDF copy and we got it off the next day with paperwork for the US government.  Then today we signed the official LOA copy at Holt's office.  This was our highs, then today after signing our papers we met our family at a clinic for my dad's surgery.  Two weeks ago he was diagnosed with Bladder cancer and today was his surgery.  It was suppose to be a quick one hour in and out surgery.  The surgery went as planned, however we) were told that the tumor was much larger than he expected.  Afterwards while I was visiting with my dad he started bleeding and it didn't stop.  They had to take him back to the OR and had to stop the bleeding.  They were able to stop the bleeding but he was told he would have to stay overnight for observation.  He is doing much better and should be released tomorrow.  However this is not the end.  we now wait for the pathology results which should arrive in a couple of weeks.  He has a follow up appointment on the 13th ( my birthday) and will be told the treatment plan at that time.  So all we can do now is Pray, Pray that it didn't spread into the muscle, Pray that it doesn't reoccur and Pray for strength during this time of adjustments.

We have LOA

This is what I've been doing all afternoon! I knew the call would come at work and sure enough as I was scanning a patient I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and knew that someone had just left a message. I could barely contain my excitement, I knew it had to be the call because who else would call me in the middle of a work day!  So I made it through the exam and sure enough there was a message but I couldn't retrieve it because I was on the bottom floor of the hospital.  So I quickly found a computer and checked my email and  there was an email from my agency labeled LOA!

So what happens from here?   Well there are many steps but they will all happen fairly quickly and I will try and break them down.

1)  Tomorrow I will mail off our application to the US government to get official approved by the US side to adopt Hope.  This process will take 2-3 weeks.

2)The National Visa center will send us a letter to let us know that they have our file from the USCIS-2-3 weeks

3)US Consulate issues Article 5- 2 weeks

4) Article 5 picked up by agency and sent to Beijing

5) Article 5 delcivered to CCCWA

6)  Travel approval issued



After Travel approval is issued we can start making flight plans.   At this point it's still looking like we will travel in November but as you know we are never in control of any of this so it could be sooner and still could be later.  We trust that God has this under control and when he's ready for us to go we will go!

Another exciting announcement is that we can now request another update of our precious daughter and  we will soon have new pictures of her!


So I officially Introduce now to everyone

HOPE MUHONG GRACE

She will be two years old in December and is waiting for us in Hubei Province!

Winchester Bay a weekend of crabbing

This last weekend we spent the weekend with my husbands family.  His mom had her 60th Birthday and wanting all of her family together for a weekend on the Bay.  This is the first trip we've ever taken with Steve's sister and family and it was great having everyone together.  Friday we got to the bay around lunch.  Met up with his parents and then ate lunch on a floating restaurant on the bay.  It was delicious!  Then we checked into our cabin, quickly unpacked and set up the tent then went off to crab.  This was my first time ever crabbing, it was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it.  We caught around 15 crabs the first day.  The next day we spent the whole day crabbing and then had a delicious crab boil with crab, potatoes, corn and sausage.  It was sooo good.   Parker left with Grandpa afterwards and fished with him the next day in his first bass tournament.  He caught five fish but they only weighed collectively 5.5lbs.

 First day getting ready to go

 Birthday Girl

 Throwing out a crab pot

 Lots of crab

 The beautiful sunset

 Campfire

 The next morning more crabbing

 At the beach

Still waiting on LOA

We are on day 67 of waiting for our LOA.  We are praying that it comes this next week or so.  We really need to have it by the end of July in order to secure November travel.  Please Pray with us that
1) LOA arrives soon  2) That are daughter is taken care of and loved as she waits for us 3) For finances to come into line.   I thought I'd share her sweet face with my blogging friends.   And if your on facebook look me up and I can add you to our private facebook page with more sweet pictures of her.

A long weekend

This weekend we headed down once again to Grants Pass.  This time to lay my Grandmother Evelyn to rest.  We got there on Thursday and just now got back today.  We had lots of good times with Family and friends we haven't seen in years.  We viewed my Grandmother on Saturday morning and I'm glad I did it.  She was so beautiful and at peace.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a picture of our family, since my boys rarely ever dress up.  Here's a few pictures from the day.  We ended the day skipping rocks on the river with my little nephew.  Thank God everyday for your loved ones and enjoy every precious minute you have with them.

 The boys were impossible to get to smile, but Zoe just poses!

 Julia & Zoe meeting for the first time

 Chase, Cousin Dylan and Zoe

 My parents and Aunt with their long time friends

 Most of the Greatgrandkids

 At the river in the evening

 Parker skipping rock after rock

 Our dog loved the river

 My little nephew

 Mom and her dogs

 Aunt Connie and Grandma