Whirlwind

We are amazed by the amount of details this adoption process entails. We have been consumed by all things China for so very long you would think by now the process would be smooth sailing. We have had to update paperwork with immigration and are waiting on a piece of paper that indicates we are approved to enter the USA with a child who is under 24 months. Our current paperwork approves us for special needs and a 12 month old.

Since, we have been asked to write details by our friends, here goes! Today, for our to do list was to gather up PERFECT hundred dollar bills for our trip. We also alerted our credit card companies that we would be traveling. We fine tuned details with the travel company and Kory filled in people at work.

I think the most difficult detail will be making the arrangements for the kids. We will be straddling that weird line between summer vacation and the first week of school as far as our travel dates. So what is already a busy time of year with back to school shopping and trying on the clothing in the closet, backpacks and lunches and first day of school pictures is thrown in there with travel plans to China, packing for China, medicine, paperwork, phone calls and a all of the other normal life details.

We are trying to savor the bit of summer we have left and trying for the kids sake to not allow China to overtake our whole lives. (but it is!!) Last night, Kory set up the tent and tonight the kids had fun making S'mores and Hot dogs in the fire. There will be sleeping in the tent and hopefully just a restful family weekend.

We will be celebrating Culley's birthday soon and then before we know it we are off to China.

Thanks for all the offers of help and for your prayers. They mean so much to us.

The pictures in today's post are of Culley as a baby in an outfit that our Chinese exchange student brought him. This was two years ago. That same exchange student is still a special part of our lives. When yesterday's mail brought the letter in the photo and we couldn't read it as it was all in Chinese (we didn't even know who it was from!) we scanned it and sent it to him and in minutes he had translated the most tender hearted letter from Hattie's foster family to us.

They wanted us to know that Hattie loves books, her hands make anything a toy, she is a great eater and the only headache she causes them is her teething:) They very much want us to get her lip repaired as they think she will then be a "beautiful little doll"

As a neighbor and friend pointed out, life does come full circle and with this China adoption we are seeing that come true. This process maybe truly kicked off for us 7 years ago about this time of year when we decided to take in an exchange student from China for the whole school year. But that is a post we will have to write another time. To sum it up, we took in the student, laughed all year (had a few tough moments) and grew a deeper appreciation for China. Now, he is helping us as we go to China to bring home Hattie. We are looking forward to seeing his parents in Beijing. Small world!!