Yeah for Randy!

Ok, Randy got the letter attached for me! On the right hand side of the blog you will see a note to click to view our letter for financial support for our adoption.  Through the matching grant that we received, we have to raise funds from our family and friends.  This is not something where we give them money and they match it.  We have to raise it from our family and friends.  The money goes straight to the organization, we do not ever touch the money in any way.  All money goes to our adoption.  All funds have to be raised by June 3rd, 2011.  Click on the link if you are interested in helping us bring our children home! 

Our goal in the beginning has always been to pay for this ourselves, but we are almost out of time and we have been turned down for almost every grant we have applied to.  With the added expense of a second child we knew we had to ask for help.  We have a great support system and we know we can get this money raised!  All donations are tax-deductible.  Thanks in advance if you choose to help support us!

Can anyone help?

I want to add a gadget to the side reel that shows a link that people can click on so that they can see our adoption support letter.  Can anyone tell me how to do this?  I am not a technical person, it took me forever to figure out how to link a web page into my post!  I don't want to bother everyone with the letter, only those who are interested.

Amazing How Good God Is!

We got an email yesterday stating that we have received a matching grant from Hand In Hand Adoption Inc!  It is a matching grant, we have to raise a certain amount of money and Hand In Hand will match it dollar for dollar up to a certain dollar amount.  If we raise all of our funds that they match, we will be getting so close to our goal.  With the added expense of a second child, we unfortunately are going to have to ask our family and friends for their help.  This was not our goal in the beginning, but we have done everything in our power to get all our funds, we know we have great friends and family and will help us get to our goal!  All we have to raise now is our trip 2 expenses and we will be done!  How great God is!

Ok, I think I goofed!

I sent off all of our information for our USCIS update and amendments that we need to do.  Without thinking I sent it certified mail, we have been sending everything certified mail.  I looked it up today to see if it arrived, since it is only going across town.  They tried to deliver, but said no one was there to sign.  As I thought about it, I think the address I sent it to was a P.O. Box.  Of course they can't sign at P.O. boxes!  Hopefully someone will go get the letter at the post office, otherwise it is going to sit there for 15 days before it will be redelivered.  I know, stupid mistake.  Does anyone have their pink sheet from the USCIS, if so, can you tell me the address of the NBC in Lee's Summit that I sent it too?

Dossier 1 update is in the mail!

Randy spent about 5 hours on the road yesterday driving to Topeka, getting everything Apostilled, then going to FedEx, almost shipping everything without making copies of it for our agency.  We have to send along 2 copies of our Dossier along with the original.   If they do it, they charge like $.25 a page if they copy it.  All this time he had Camden with him.  Yeah for Randy.  All this time I was sitting at a school doing NOTHING!!!  It is state testing week at the district that I sub for.  Since I had not been trained to give the test, I couldn't give it.  So they had someone else come in and give the test so I sat in the room all day making sure kids didn't cheat.  BORING!!  But hey, I got paid.  Today, I am going to get our home study update to the USCIS, hopefully, and get that information updated. 

Question for those who have updated, we are having to change the age range on our 171-H to accommodate siblings.  We are also only 4 months away from our fingerprints expiring, can we do both at the same time?  I have a call into our agency, and waiting for their return call, but thought I would throw that question out for those who have done it before.  Any response would be great!
Denise

What a busy week!

First of all our home study is done!!!!  Yeah, we got it in the mail on Friday.  So we printed off all the other documents that we need for our dossier update and we marched off to the bank as soon as I got home from work on Friday.  Also we got Camden back on Friday.  He had spent a week with my mom so that I could work and Randy could get some stuff done around the house.  Mainly a fence, if we are bringing 2 kiddos home, I need a fence to corral them all!  So off to the bank we went.  The notary there knows us by name, but she gets so excited for us also!  On Monday, Randy and Camden will be loading in the car to drive to Topeka to get everything Apostilled and then copied, and finally to the Fed Ex office and mailed to our agency.  I know everything will not be in Russia by April 14th, but hey we did the best we could.  It will be in the hands of our agency by then. 

Camden and I finally got to the grocery store today which was a good thing, our refrigerator and pantry were getting a little empty, so nice to have some food again.  I just did not have the energy all week to go after work, I honestly don't know how working moms do it.  More power to you all!  I will feel much better when everything is in the mail on Monday, and I take a breath.  6 weeks is way too short to get that much stuff done, especially when you have to rely on other people.  I am just glad that stress is over.  Now all we have to do is resubmit our home study to the USCIS to modify our age range.  We are already approved for 2 children, but only up to the age of 2.  We have to raise it to the age of 3.  Thankfully the Government hasn't "shut down" yet, if they do, it is going to be bad.  No USCIS, and no passport and visa applications centers open.  Also I heard that US Embassy's will shut down also if there is a Government shutdown.  Praying that they get everything figured out ASAP!