...the beginning of our adoption for... Bella

Yes, It's true! We have started the process... one more "final" time, to adopt. We are so excited to be able to be blessed to have yet one more precious gift from God, our child another daughter. This is our milestone and journal page of our families journey to adopt; our youngest daughter. She is somewhere waiting for us in China.

We submitted our Application on 04/19/2010, and Our MCC {medical conditions checklist} on 4/22/2010; and we were approved on 05/06/2010.
We have decided on a name for our littlest one; Bella ^(Insert Chinese Name) Mystique.
We downloaded the Dossier Guide tonight, 5/23/2010, it was the last day of School for your siblings, "Bella". It is now Summer time, ~ mommy homework time ~ time for your mommy to do the Dossier {loads of Paperwork & Documents} to get all of them to China, so we can meet and bring you home, ...forever our daughter.

Guess what??... We know who Bella is. We are

over the moon with joy. Today is 6/10/2010 and we have seen Bella's Face. Our Hearts have grown 10 sizes bigger and our eyes full of tears of joy. We have been Humbled and Blessed to be the parents and family of this child. She is a beautiful little girl, age four from AnYang, Henan, P.R. China. She is an orphan in foster care and she is most desperately loved by us, her new forever family. Our prayers have been answered yet once again for a gift from GOD, a child to call our daughter, forever.

We Sent our LOI (letter of Intent to adopt) today 6/14/2010 to Ch!n@.
We recieved PA (PreApproval) to adopt our youngest daughter 6/21/2010.
Welcome our newest baby girl; her name means "Beautiful Aura of the Sky or Firmament"; aka Beautiful Heavenly Aura ~ Bella XiaoHan Mystique.
We started our Homestudy by attending our Orientation at our agency on 6/25/2010.
Today is 08/12/10 and the dossier paperchase for you, "Our Bella" is coming right along. We mailed our last documents that we have control over (timeline control) to the S.O.S. for certification, and Jan M. our family Social Worker, emailed and said the Homestudy has just been reviewed (read 3+ times or more) by Judy at our agency :o)... so we are underway my girl. We have to sit back and let the governments now weigh in with their approval notices, and fingerprint invitations and a whole bunch of acronyms for your adoption... but we are well underway. Hang tight our littlest lotus blossom, we are coming in 2011.

Today is 08/24/10 Our Homestudy is at our State-AA (Adoption Alliance) for approval... which should take one to two weeks, then on to USCIS (United States Customs and Immigration Service), where they will invite us to be fingerprinted and then approve us (mommy & daddy) as fit parents to adopt an orphan (our beloved Bella) from an International Hague Country.
This last step is very lengthy, waiting possibly up to 90 days for this last document (I-797C) for the Dossier, but it is in place to protect the children and families... Pray for us and Bella that everything will move smoothly so she can have us and us have her and she will no longer be an Orphan, but the child born of Our Hearts.

I last wrote on this page we were expecting our fingerprint appointment-- well that came, and we stopped by our agency to deliver our Dossier-- and then when we got home--- WELL we found Deanna staring back at us on the Waiting Child Website!! A complete and perfect circle to our children-- Welcome and follow along I can't keep up with this page any longer! LOL!!!

School Photos 2010

Did the quick scan / blog-share of the photos,

with all these kids... can't pay for the "crazy" priced packages. :)

Easter 2010

Hunting only once... you don't know us! Try 2 more hours of hunting over and over again!

Ah, to be a kid again...

Colorado Birth Certificate

Today Scott and Athena did a swear-in to get their Colorado Birth Certificate.
Yes! I want to be in this crazy family.

Spring! (for a day)

Athena and Hannah got some new rides.

And they had fun...
... Jacob wanted to show Scott how to play catch with the football

Jacob shows off his Kurt Warner throw...

The only problem is... Scott can't catch!

Something about closed eye's that hurt your chances.

It seems that the "fumbles" work both ways.

After 20 minutes it starts to get ugly...
Then the impossible happens!
And the "Man Roar" comes out!
And group celebration follows.
Then it all starts over again...

...better call them inside before the neighbors witness anything.

The Number SIX

We've made it, & with candied "Gummis' on top.

~

It has been six months since we met them, and found ourselves with two more children added and blessed into our humbled family. We Celebrated "Gotcha day" with Scott and Athena and the rest of the brood at Golden Corral this evening.

~

Things are going great as a family.

~

Can you believe I can say that:o) ...after the torture of months #'d three and four... I remember dreading the social workers unexpected visit during month 3 ...knowing I did not want to see her for at least another couple months, we needed more time to be family. (At least wait until the 6 month mark, I kept thinking as she made plans to arrive that day.) I knew I just was not up to seeing her and thinking I sure wish the behavioral issues had subsided... like what? [you ask]...crawling on the floor like a dog at school and home, hitting a girl at school, complaining about everything (especially food), always last, bossy, manipulative, controlling, dominating, walking yards ahead of group, talking in Chinese with curse words and name calling to 'Chinese' siblings, not respecting any female.

...But then really, BAM! at 4.5 months it was so much better. He finally 'cracked' ~ cried (grieved, if that is what it was) and has been able to hug, more than just at bedtime and take, tolerate (LOL) cheek kisses... he still does not kiss, but he does hug and for a preteen boy that is awesome. ;-) and he can now be nice and concerned for his siblings feelings, and respects a women or girls in general as people not personal servitudes. So he has stopped bossing and controlling most (LOL) situations. I say, we have finally 'hit-pay-dirt' with him and now we are truly feeling family. It was hard those month right after the initial two month 'honeymoon phase' that a family typically sees in adoption. But now we know it is not a honeymoon period, it 'IS' the real bond that grew, a little slower with an older boy. But love all the same.

Our girls though, 'easier' is such a simple way to put it. They honeymoon'ed and never looked back, I guess that was good since we needed that little extra effort & time for our son to come around. Today we are at 6 months, with our two newest and our two oldest children [all in the same, adopted out of birth order] and wow, it feels good. Better, Relaxed and Family like. Wheewhhh!

~

Whelp, we made it. :-) our Social worker is actually joining us again {3rd visit in 6 months} and this one we are open armed at feeling content and relaxed with. She will be at our court date in April, and she will do our six months post adoption at dinner that evening/afternoon.

~

Anyway what prompted this response is ...I know we are 'way okay' as family. I am actually thinking with a clearer head, because this happened today as I looked over and had time too, and actually really LOOKED over my bank statement and wondered when and why my insurance had went up 40 bucks a month?

What?

I had not been writing down an extra 40 bucks missing from my account through automatic draft. ....So, I went out to the garage pulled the month by month statement that I had filed out there and low and behold how about in June LOL!!! When we bought a new VAN... "hey dumbo, wake up... get your head out of the sand, it is time!". At least I am thinking clearly NOW, and am now more relaxed around here, and have found time to be in control of me and myself and THINK about my duties... OMG!! At least I found out before the checks bounced :o) ... I have been able to take time to do budgets, [as you hear me moan and sound off to you all; my good friends] I can now think and have found a few mistakes that had been left unattended to, ...due to adoption crisis's first ... & me and myself last.

...awhh at least we are finally seeing normal around here. Now, not every moment is that perfect essence, but pretty darn close. But hey, it wouldn't be 'normal' if it were all roses without manure~sometimes! We are Happy & Hangin' in there.

~

Happy "Forever Family Day" S and A and momma too!;-)

We love you!

Water babies

It's almost hard to believe that Scott and Athena only discovered swimming just 6 months ago.

They are both relaxed enough in the water to learn quickly.

Jacob and Hannah are both doing well in their class too.
Well... Hannah is doing better then last year...LOL.
Everyone is having a good time, that's what's important.

Chinese New Year!

It's the Year of the Tiger (Scott's year).
We traveled to Denver to watch the Chinese New Year festival. But first we 'had to' eat at John Holly's Asian Bistro. It was very good, but it was also a lot of food for the kids (whom have been starving for Chinese food), so we were a little late to the festival.

Daddy "no like" Chinese food... not even rice.

We missed the opening, and had to sit in the back.
Scott was upset that the menu at John Holly's was not printed in Chinese. He said "What kind of Chinese place not have menu in Chinese?, this not real Chinese!" He sure did scarf down that "not real Chinese food" like it was his last supper.