Moving Along...

It's a new week...a week of change and excitement for our family! First off, we heard word from our Caseworker that our Immigration processor is willing to expedite us through!!! So, as soon as it hits her desk, she will approve us same day (assuming there are no errors in the documents of course)! So, hopefully we'll receive approval by next week. Then there's an Article 5 that needs to go off to Colombia, and that should take 3-14 days to process...then we go to Chicago to get our visas and travel! We remain very hopeful to be in Colombia by Thanksgiving!!

We learned a few more things about Caroline and Marta... Los Pisingos has begun the process to prepare the girls to meet us. Obviously, Marta has no concept of this yet, but, Caroline does. We are told she is proud to show off the photo album we sent to her of her new familia! Every day she has a short session with a psychologist talking about us, going through the gifts we sent, etc. For being an institution Los Pisingos does a great job caring for their kids, even in tough financial times. Caroline also goes to a government run preschool called "Safe Haven" everyday. The institution runs a very structured day. Caroline's schedule begins at 6 am and ending at 7 pm, with a 3 hour nap/rest time each day. Marta is still not walking or crawling, but, we learned she has begun to scoot around on her bottom. She is a fussy little eater, preferring to just have milk...which will make for great bonding time for us, feeding her bottles (all " age appropriate rules" you throw out when you are building trust with your new little ones- she may have bottles for a long time)! They are very forward letting us know that she has definite "institutional delay" but feel she is going to thrive in a family! It has been a gift to be able to learn a few more things about our girls as we wait for them!

It is also MOVE WEEK! Here we come 28 E Central! Our condo lease is up the end of the month, so, we are going to begin to move this weekend! Our home (addition) is not finished yet, but, the rest of the space is very livable...carpet going in today. It is going to be wonderful to settle in the next week or two. I honestly can't believe that the time is here. It has been a labor of love (ok labor for John, love for me)...it is going to be such an amazing street to live on and raise our family. This last year has been quite the ride...and the journey keeps movin' along...

Adoption Update

Above is a cute photo of excited big sis and proud big brother holding on to their little sisters referral pictures. I emailed it to our Colombian Representative. She said she would be sure to pass on to Los Pisingos, assuming they will pass along to the girls!

This past week was a bit of a roller coaster ride on our adoption end...on Monday we understood that the strike would probably not take place, and realizing that we most likely would be traveling soon! Well, the good news is, the strike did not go through! Praise God! But, on Tuesday an urgency over took me (isn't that sometimes how the Holy Spirit works?!)...with our caseworker being on vacation, I called immigration to see how our I800 (huge packet of loads of stuff about us and the girls needed to get approval to travel and receive the girls)...after both John and I made phone calls, going back and forth with Bethany, we discovered some really disappointing news. Our I800 packet had NEVER been sent to immigration...it was sitting in our file at Bethany. My heart just sank...how in the world could this happen when we were told that all it needed was a letter from corporate and it would go in the mail the following day (which was 6 weeks ago)! UGH! I had a few days of feeling angry and frustrated. I can't describe the urgency I feel to receive our girls right now...it is building every day. I am up every night praying for them (for hours)! This is God's way of preparing the adoptive Mama's time clock to get ready for those sleepless nights of holding and loving on the girls...He has done this with Isabel and Silas, and it really is amazing!

So, we press on, not angry or mad, but disappointed...we do not know what this means for travel, so, we are praying for a miracle with immigraiton. We are told that they have "expedited" paperwork through, but, they can be a bit "touchy" and you can't push to hard...or they said we could get the Congressman involved, and it will probably rush us through, but, could make immigration upset and be a slower process for other families...hmmm...hopefully we'll get some answers tomorrow from our caseworker! So, we don't know...according to Bethany they are capable of expediting in 10 days, but, we also know that this I800 approval can take up to 3 months. We expect everything will be done on our behalf from Bethany, and then we just have to wait and see. Our Colombian Represenative told us we could travel right up to Dec. 6 to get into the courts before they shut down for almost 4 weeks. I personally think Christmas in Colombia would be an unbelievably special time for our family!! We also know that our adoption house keeps inquiring on when we will travel, and they can get a little funny about the long process, so, Bethany has to advocate for us not only with immigration but with our adoption house.

Crazy process...so, out of our control. But God is who He says He is, He is Sovereign, He is on the throne... orchestrating all the details down to the nitty gritty of every signature, form...and in His perfect time, and perfect way He will bring us together...His heart is big for the fatherless, the orphan, every tear I've cried over our girls, He crys thousands more! He cares for them more than I ever humanly could. He showed me His grace today in church during worship. I could hardly sing, so I just closed my eyes, and clear as day saw Caroline running towards His long white robe, and His hand reached out to her...and He gave me a picture of Marta walking with her little bonkers in her hair and a smile on her face (she's not walking yet, and shows little emotion). It was as if He was saying "I'm loving them, I'm caring for them, I'm protecting them...it's going to be ok!" And, although I have this agonizing desire to hold them in my arms, a certain peace came over me today that I didn't have all week! His grace is sufficient!

Latest Word on the Possible Strike in Colombia

We just heard word from Bethany that the government and union are talking. This is a good sign that they are trying to work things out! Oh we are praying for this! We still are waiting on our I800 immigration approval. Once this comes in, things should go rather quickly ...it is looking like we have a chance of traveling yet this year!! It's muy loco right now...working hard long days on our house, our custom home project, beginning to pack up our condo, keep up on our kids daily activities, etc...it feels like we don't have enough time in our days...but, it's so good at the same time...keeping our eyes fixed on our sovereign God who alone is our strength!

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him, tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory to His Holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always!" Psalm 105:1-4

Possible Strike in Colombia

In Colombia, the courts are talking about going on strike, starting October 14. This did happen last year, and I know of a family that was "stuck" in the adoption process while there, and their stay lasted 14 weeks. I also know of a family that could not travel until the strike was over. If this strike does take place, our agency will not allow us to travel until the strike ends, as they do not want us to get "stuck" there in the process. Ugh! We so badly want to travel and be home for Christmas, but, if this takes place it will for sure push us to next year...oh, we don't want this to happen...we are trusting that God knows what is best for us and the girls...and praying for patience and grace that this possibility does not happen. There are several children in Colombia that could be "held" up from meeting their forever families if this strike takes place. It just doesn't seem fair.

Many have also inquired about how long we think our stay will be. We honestly have no idea. I've known families in Bogota who have been there as short as 3 1/2 weeks and stayed as long as 14 weeks. With Isabel and Silas we were there about 6 weeks both times. The unknown does not bother me. I fully enjoy the stay in the country, and it will be such a wonderful time for our family to get to know eachother in the girl's culture that they are familiar with. The hotel we stay at has become like family, so, it truly has become to me "home away from home!" Now, with John's parade house being under construction he will not be able to stay very long. Our hope at this point is that he can fly back and forth as needed (as flights have gone way down in price). I really hope I can keep Isabel and Silas with me for 4+weeks, as I think they will benefit greatly from spending that much time with their new sisters, experiencing their birthland, and being immersed in the Spanish language 24/7...so, when you ask me how you can pray...please pray that our family is in Colombia as long as Caroline, Marta, Isabel, and Silas need to be there. God knows better than us, and we need to put our complete trust in His timing on all of this!

SEPTEMBER

Where did September go? It has been so crazy busy at our house. From running around updating our adoption paperwork, to getting back into the routine of school and schedules, to working on our wonderful old "new" house (as Silas calls it), to settling in to a church in Holland, to preparing for the girls! It has been a very full, exhausting, exciting, and challenging month! For me, the urgency to travel to get to Caroline and Marta is strongly on the rise, the wait is getting more difficult. Working on our home has been a blessing in disguise...if I was not busy right now, I don't know how I would tolerate the wait. God knows my heart and what I can handle.

It wouldn't be right for me to look back on this crazy month and not share the blessings we've received from others...like...opening the mail and once again receiving a check for exactly the amount we need to pay for all our current adoption expenses, for a father-in-law who comes and works on our house every day he has available, for a dad and mom who came and spent an afternoon weeding in our front yard, for a family from school/ new church that invited us to join their Bible Study, for a dear friend who sent home in Isabel's backpack "the ultimate facial" on a day that I really needed a pick me up, for many offering to take our kiddos so we can get work done, for the many that offer to help us move when it's time, for a neighbor who came and helped me paint the bedrooms upstairs on a totally last minute phone call-yes there is color in the house!!!... for a family from our Colombian Connection that hosted a dinner with some other CC families so we could have some fellowship before we take off for Bogota...for amazing teachers and friends that have allowed our kids not just to like school, but, to love it...for a great Custom Home Project that John just signed in one of the worst housing markets...it has been so good...SO GOOD! We have experienced the fullness of God's grace this past month, through amazing people He has put in our path...yes, we are tired, but, so overwhelmed by God's provision and care for our family!!

Isabel is thriving at school. She loves every minute of it! I didn't realize how much I was going to miss her throughout the day. Outside of school, she has started back up taking ballet at a new christian dance studio, Turning Pointe, and Weds. nights are date night with Daddy- off to church, as John is doing a study and she sings in Kidz Praise! She is having fun playing soccer on Saturday mornings through Zeeland Rec. Below are her good friends Quincy and Brooklyn who are in her class and on her soccer team.

Many have been inquiring about the house...well from the outside, it's not looking so great yet...a little wood rotting off the sides, funky hole covers where the insulation was blown in...really doesn't bother me, just part of the process...and with the girls coming, we need to work on the inside...this has been a great picture lesson for the kids, as Isabel can't understand why we can't just make the outside of our house look beautiful...it's been great to share how God needs to work on the inside of our hearts first, getting rid of all the "junk," before we can shine bright for Him in His kingdom!

You can see, still some things to do on the main floor...caulking and sanding all the woodwork, spraying the trim, installing the Hickory hardwoods, and painting the walls...that's in the old part of the house...the kitchen still needs it's cabinets installed, booth built, etc...

...but, it is coming along. The addition has been sided, one coat of paint...the house is going to be a little goofy this winter being mix matched...

...the mudroom, pantry area, and laundry will be done by the time we move in, we may be without a kitchen for a few weeks...that's part of remodeling...one of my favorite things about this old house is the 9 1/2 ft. ceilings throughout the main floor...






...being married to a builder is fun. Stressful at times, but, fun when you are fixing up your own house...wood is good..and we have quite a bit of it going on, it will all be painted as the original was all painted ...I really like the beams that are in our kitchen...






And Zeeland Architechural did a great job of matching up our orignal baseboard and trim so we could keep it flowing throughout the main floor...





...but, my favorite thing they did was our staircase. It's going to be beautiful when painted!!

...I enjoy finding unique things, and a there is a great line called D.A.D.S. that has fun, chunky furniture feet for our built-ins!

Ahhh...and there is color! I didn't realize how much I missed it until it went up (our condo is one neutral color-blah)! Below is my favorite from Benjamin Moore called "Dragons Breath!" It is very rich!!! That's going to be our bedroom. I'm so thankful that John was willing to cathedral the ceiling to make it feel bigger and brighter!





Caroline and Marta are going to have a fun room with a few nooks and cranny's! I wanted something "cheery" for them and have not used yellow in a while...







...and here's Si Guys little green room. I still need to paint a blue stripe to tie all his bedding and pieces together...he had to give up the big room when we heard about the sisters, and has not complained! He's excited how "cozy" his room is going to be...and reminds me proudly that he is going to be in the middle of all of his sisters, being their protector! That he will be!




...and yes, sweet Izzy had to have a "bubble gum" pink room! She got it! Her reaction when she saw it was just precious. She squeezed me so tight saying "Thank you...Thank you....Thank you...Mommy!" I think the "quiet" walls on our condo have gotten to her, too!





So, as you can see...we've been working hard, but, it is now starting to come with great reward, as we are a month away from settling in to our new "old" house! I am looking forward to making our new daughter's feel safe and secure...not having to pick this light fixture out or that granite slab out...or running to get fingerprinted for the 3rd time for the FBI to make sure we are still fit to be parents...just being a family, focusing on being a mom...we are almost there...praise God for being with us each step of the way!

These past 6 weeks we have received one blessing after another. From the big things like our girls, to the very little things like paint on the walls... My prayer is that we will not take any one of them for granted, that we can give God all the glory for what He is doing among us, and that we can look for oppurtunities to bless others along their life's journey!