POPE

Vania received her first official piece of mail Tuesday from the Etsy fairy. This is her pope ( doll ) handmade and purchased from the Hope for Little Angels of Haiti Etsy store. The doll is called Napping Nelly and she is adorable and perfect ! The wait to leave for Haiti is becoming excruciating ! I'm back to my default of constantly checking the e-mail hoping for an update on Vania before we leave. The good news is that I think we have her shopping done. Just need to purchase a few odds and ends for Adam and I and pick up the Malaria medication. Praying she is well and can't wait to hold her soon!
Bambi

Weekend Get Away

This weekend we took the kids down to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky to hang out and spend some time together :) I think my favorite part was the no dishes , no laundry and no cooking part ! Of course there was a ton of fun stuff to do. Agreeing on what to do was the tough part. The Alpine slide down the side of a mountain took the #1 spot for favorite thing we got to do and #2 fav would be exploring the inside of Mammoth Cave. Definitely a site to behold. Unfortunately it was really tough to get great pics in a dark cave or flying down the mountain on what looks like a sled. Taking last place was Dino World which you will see by the pictures we had to amuse ourselves . Anyhow, a good time was had by all. Enjoy the pictures :)
Bambi

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Pray the date

This morning we got an e-mail from our agency saying we have a confirmed appointment in Haiti to file our I600 paperwork June 16th at 11:00 am sharp. This is great news :) Just another needed step. What is the I600 ? Well I copied this from the USCIS website....

Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative

Purpose of Form :

To classify an alien orphan who either is, or will be, adopted by a U.S. citizen as an immediate relative of the U.S. citizen to allow the child to enter the United States. The petition is filed by the U.S. citizen who is adopting the child.

Please pray that the appointment would run smoothly and there would be no delays. Please pray that the paperwork would be done correctly and that we would have all the needed information. Pray that we would just have peace , because I know at least for me I will be bundle of nerves with sweaty palms... Yuck.
Bambi

Happy B-day to Me

I am 35 yrs old today ! Usually I don't get a big kick out of announcing I'm another year older but this year the fact that I have reached the ripe age of 35 means that I meet the age requirement to adopt from Haiti :) As a married couple one of us is "supposed " to be 35 or older. This is one of the rules set forth in the old 1974 adoption laws that Haiti has decided to start using again, amongst others ( like not allowed having biological children ) that we don't meet. Unfortunately if all of the Haiti adoption law requirements are not met it creates another hoop to jump through called a Presidential Waiver. But today I will celebrate that I can cross off another prerequisite .Not that it changes anything in reality:) We are still looking at needing the Presidential Waiver:(

Just a cute story on my birthday.... Carson told me today " Mom i love you....... I love you bigger than a birthday " Which I just found to be super sweet because birthdays are just so huge for a little 6 yr old. When we get older as long as someone remembers it's our birthday... we're good :)
And yes the candles on my cake say 53, my family can be a bunch of jokesters ! I love them:)
Bambi

Got Rice ?

We received 2 boxes of rice today from FMSC. Thanks to Lori and Brent, fellow adoptive parents , for getting it shipped to us :) In order to get it to Haiti we will be packing it in our suitcases. Each box weighs about 33 lbs. This is not the only rice though. Several families will also be transporting rice along with other needed supplies in their luggage to Haiti . Hopefully this will help the orphanage with their food supply for a few months. On my side bar under other links of interest is a link for Feed My starving Children. Check it out ! The process of how they package the rice and what is in it is very interesting :)

Imagine Spot 2

Received this in an e-mail newsletter today:)
I bring you this pro-adoption video called "Imagine the Potential" that has been approved to appear on the last episode of American Idol. The ad, produced by CatholicVote.org shows people such as John Lennon, Nelson Mandela, Babe Ruth, Nancy Reagan, Bill Clinton, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sarah McLachlan, Steve Jobs, and Jesse Jackson. A previous ad, was turned down for the Super Bowl .

Happy Mother's Day

A Mother's Love

by Helen Steiner Rice

A Mother's love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .

A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.

Dreams

A few weeks ago I had my first dream about visiting the orphanage to meet Vania. Dreams can seem so real at times and very emotional. I was so excited to arrive at the O taking each child by their shoulders and turning them around to see if it was her. Eventually a staff member came up and told me that she was not there and I would need to wait a week to see her. My whole family had traveled to meet her . Disappointed we decided to plan some excursions, go sight seeing and shopping while we waited the week... IN YOUR DREAMS ! WHERE'S MY BABY !!!!!!

The picture above is Vania's referral picture. She came to the O in January arriving on the last day our parent trip was there. I don't know how long it was before they took her picture holding up her name for the camera but this had to be one of the first pictures taken. The look in her big beautiful eyes is so empty. I can't imagine what she must have been feeling.

The next picture received in March was such a comfort seeing her smiling and well. I am so grateful to all of the staff at the O for taking great care of Vania and all the other children. They are mothers to many !!! The hardest job ever ! Thanks Hope for Little Angels of Haiti for taking Vania in , caring for and loving her. PS.. 1 month and 1 week and backup is on the way to Haiti:)
LOL BAmbi

Baconator

Spring soccer wrapped up this weekend with a bang ! We had three fun and exciting games to end the season on ( and the weather cooperated to pull them off :) ! Zane Has picked up a new nickname this season " Baconator". He challenged himself to finish a Baconator from Wendy's before one of his soccer games and he did. He rolled out of the van bragging to the coach and his friends that he had just finished a Baconator. The coach said " Zane how in the world are you going to play after eating a Baconator ?". Well, Zane wasted no time in running down the field and putting one in the goal. When he had a Baconator before a game he scored and then ran down the field to cheers of " Bacon Bacon ". You know, whatever works. When he was little a nerd rope would work the same magic. I wonder what it will be in the fall :) Have a great Monday! PS... Thanks mom for the action photos !
Bambi

Swine Flu Rule #1

Got this in an e-mail today ..........."Stay Healthy and do not do this !"
LOL Bambi :)

Fairy Tale Ball

Today was the Kindergarten Fairy Tale Ball. Carson was super excited ! He loves to dress up:) So above we have Carson as King Midas his friend Parker as Papa Bear and Garrett as a pirate from Peter Pan. This was their scary pose. Have a great weekend!
Bambi