Blowing Away...

The Competition!!! Wolverine definitely left them in his dust.

Lucky #18

Opening day of Flag Football. This is Jacob's first season and first "competitive" sport--besides Karate.

Giving it his all!

My [Gorgeous] Elementary School kids

Of course--I am just a bit biased, since they are my "littles" of the moment-- but jeez; you have to admit these kids are totally adorable!

Article 5

Today our Article 5 was received by our agencies' In-Ch!n@ representative & it is now on it's way to Beijing. And it just happened to happen on Kira's Birthday. (we love & miss you baby girl)

The breakdown on the timeline is this:

We wait now for the last document called TA, and it only takes 2 to 4 weeks to have the "TA" (travel approval notice) released to us and then we can leave for Ch!n@ for our baby girls!!!

---tick tock ---tick tock ---we are on our way---soon.

Happy Birthday Sweet Bella

Today is my sweet Bella's Birthday-- She is 5!!!This is Bella in Ch!n@, enjoying her cake we had sent her--

...and we are celebrating here at home, wishing upon wishes she will be here soon-- Daddy and Hannah will be there soon to bring you and your sister Deanna home-- Can't wait to hug and love and kiss on you-- Happy Birthday my Bella XiaoHan.

Nesting

The Beds are made...BELLA'S BEDDEANNA'S BEDThe Closets are full...and then some on the outside too--

To the East!

Another milestone:

Our daughters' paperwork has officially been cabled to Guangzhou, Ch!n@! This is where we will have our exit appointment, the girls will be sworn in as US Citizens, and we will pick up their Visa's to exit Ch!n@ and return home--

With this step, it finalizes bringing all of our paperwork officially to the East, awaiting our arrival.

steps to come:

1 and 3) We will need the US Consulate located in Ch!n@ to issue our Article 5 and a Consulate Appointment date.

2) We need the Ch!n@ center of adoption affairs office in Beijing to grant us TA (Travel Approval) --

~

Then we are off to adopt our two littlest girls!!!

i800 Provisional Approval(S)

Our agency received the scanned copies of our Approvals today for both our daughters-- they will now send our girls DS230's & paperwork package onto GZ, Ch!n@, to be hand-delivered to the U.S. Consulate on our behalf. Then after our 'NVC cable/letter' arrives, the consulate will issue Article 5--the U.S. form of the LOA/LSC letter seeking confirmation, this will go to Beijing, where they will grant us TA; a Travel Approval or invitation if you will, to come to our children's birth country :).-- then our agency sets us a CA; a Consulate Appointment for us overseas and we buy tickets, hop on the first plane out'a here--no matter the gas price (ughh~) and our prayers are simple: "We Thank!, always and foremost" as we are so grateful to GOD for our blessing of a family!

(I know it's a lot of code talk)--

but it equals; One step closer--& only 4 more steps to go! Then we GO!!

~

Deanna's care package cake party pictures