Save the Date!

April 1, 2011

In honor of Ian's 5th Birthday

An exquisite online Auction
to help raise the final fees
to bring Ian home

Here is a sneek peak:

If you have been gifted by God with any talents in the area of crafting, knitting, etc...we REALLY need auction items donated to help make this auction a big success.

In his time

waiting

waiting

thinking

waiting

put up one little boy's new bed with new animal themed comforter and sheet set
rejoiced in seeing him warm, comfy, full, and fast asleep, safe in our home

the other is still in its box

waiting

to be slept in

Ian's Gotcha Day seems SO far away

still

he knows when the time is right

and so we carry on

waiting
waiting
gathering the strength
to never tire in our efforts

to


bring our beautiful boy home

In terms of an update, I feel tired but renewed, sad but happy, at peace but anxious, calm but terrified, etc...how and ever...I am ever reminded, that it is so thankfully NOT about me! After that great last post showing off our completed dossier #1, I mailed it. I mailed it knowing we would likely have to do some paperwork over. We got the word a few days later that yes, we had six items to re-do. There was a mix up with some dates and a mis-spelled name. Wednesday I will get my hands on the last piece of paper for the re-does and take the six items to be apostilled, and then send to our agency, Hand in Hand, in Arizona. From there, they will fly off to Ian's country to be reviewed once more and submitted. All submissions have been halted until Feb. 1st so I am hopeful that we will be submitted on or about that day.

Once we are submitted, we wait for news of our travel date. Yes, it is surreal and yes I feel some trepidation, especially given the events of today in our world. A terrible thing happened today too close to where we need to go. It could have been us standing there gathering our luggage, with Ari and Ian in tow. It could have been. It wasn't us, but it was other people and they lost their lives and I am just sick about it.

I feel falling to my knees to pray as the first and only defense.

Tomorrow I will fast in preparation to for a prayer vigil for three Reece's Rainbow families. You don't have to fast, but won't you join me in standing with them at this hour, they very much need all of us as the lives of three precious children hang in the balance. Click HERE to stand with them all in fervent prayer.

We did it!

Allow me to present the obligatory dossier spread out on the kitchen table all Apostilled and ready for submission adoption chronicles photograph:

Thank. You. Jesus!

This is a very big day for us. This package is on its way to its first stop in Tucson, Arizona (uncanny that it would be headed to Tucson at this time, our prayers are with the victims) to our adoption agency. It was delayed 7 days by the Winter "snowpocalypse" we had here in Georgia the last week (5 days no school, no services, no mail, stores (if open at all) closing before the sun goes down, no leaving the house), etc...). I did have some fun in the snow however:

Taken from the 2nd story window, the dark spots are leaves, this was a life size tribute!

After that, our dossier #1 (which is technically called the "registration application") is headed to Ian's country and I will join the ranks of such wonderful mom's who have gone before me (HF & KN in particular) in becoming an out and out stalker of the Federal Express package tracking website.



So, where are we in the process given that glorious image above?

We waited to submit this dossier until we had all of the funds and little over that, to pay all of the fee's to the orphanage, all travel, and all other legal and paperwork associated with Trip #1. So, now we wait, and have no added worry or stress related to having to raise up funds quickly for a travel date (amen, so MANY people came through for us this holiday season! An anonymous gift right before Christmas of $2K and another on Christmas Day of $1K gave us the best Christmas gifts EVER!). We are waiting for a few things at this point but the most important and most anticipated will be our travel date. We expect to travel around March 1st or perhaps earlier if there are no document issues. Ian's city closed acceptance of all new dossiers until after Feb. 1st, so we wanted to be among the first in line for new submissions and looks like we will be.

When we get our travel date it is all hands on deck to get ready to go. I have to do some FMLA approvals at work to be able to leave for a week and still have job when I get back:), Craig has vacation and they already know he will be going, and Ari, well - he just gets to come along for the ride to meet his new brother, no strings attached:).

We were so blessed to have also raised the amount we needed to submit the I600A with USCIS and we await confirmation by email that they have received our application. Once that happens we wait for our fingerprinting appointment. We MUST have approval to bring Ian home to the U.S. so it is good to have the distraction of travel planning to take the edge off of waiting for such a critical piece of paper.

We also need to raise the remaining $15-18,000.00 we are going to need in order to complete this adoption. God is so good, we have complete and total faith that he will bring what we need in time. Jesus died for us to have peace no matter our circumstances, and this is no different. I am so grateful for this experience. Ian's prayer warriors are out there, making quick work of the mountain we need to move. Total complete strangers are sending money to Reece's Rainbow for Ian. We are astounded at the power of the word of God, and how when we pray and accept his calling, when you get real with yourself and get uncomfortable, at how he works. It is, sublime.

I. just. love. God.

to GIVE or not to GIVE.....love

Welcome.

I heard somewhere that a simple photograph has the power to speak 1,000 words.

As you consider a donation to help us bring Ian home, I can think of no better way to "speak" how much of a difference a family makes, than in these images from children, adopted and brought home to loving families in 2010. All of these children have Down Syndrome and/or other special needs.

Please help us place a picture of Ian's "after" on this blog in 2011. Your heart won't regret it.

Before, living on less than we would consider a snack,

after

an adorable son whose belly is full

before, rarely being held, hugged, kissed....
after

a beautiful daughter smothered with hugs

before, an uncertain future for the least among us

after

a cherished son finally home
before, a scared little girl

after

a gorgeous, confident child, the perfect daughter

before, wondering if I will ever be loved

after

the answer to both of our prayers
before, how long can he last as one of hundreds?

after

a family of his own, now a beloved son



for our Ian, won't you please be a part of making his "after" possible?




please give today, every dollar counts.
He deserves a happily ever after.

Get Fit FAST with Ian's awesome Bootcamp Give-A-Way!

For every $10 donation, you will get 1 entry to win this incredible grand prize gift!

Get in shape fast with Operation Bootcamp!! I (Gretchen, Ian's mommy to be) lost over 60 pounds doing these sessions after Ari was born, and made great friends.
These people CAN and WILL get you moving in a supportive and fun environment.
Regular price for 30 days = $350!

This fund raiser to help us get Ian home will run today through Ian's birthday. What a great birthday present it will be for us to all know that we have raised the remaining $15K we need to complete Ian's journey to his forever family! This will be our first fund raiser to raise that final $15K.

We are organic, fitness nuts and we cannot wait to take Ian on rides around our local parks, feed him fresh organic foods, and equip him with the tools to treat his God given body with respect. You are what you eat right? So, what better way to get all of us ready for Ian to come home than to Give-A-Way an amazing 30 day session of Bootcamp for those living in the Atlanta, Georgia area.

Are you someone who…

• …wants to take the first steps to fitness but you don't know where to begin?
• …exercises regularly but needs motivation to get out of your workout rut?
• …needs to get fit quickly for a special event, with a program that guarantees results?

CLICK HERE to go to OBC's website and learn about this amazing program!

Last step before submission!

This is it people! Today I get my hands on all of the documents that had to be REDONE in order to be apostilled by the State of Georgia. We got most of all of our original documents rejected for that special gold seal called an apostille, because the notary (bless her heart, she had notarized all 100 or so pages for free for us), signed her name over her embossed notary seal, and that is a big no no in the apostille department. I was SO sad that day, it was the day before Christmas. I had wanted our dossier #1 in the hands of Ian's agency for Christmas, as a present to ourselves.

Of course, we had no clue about the requirements for notary stamping in terms of where it has to go on the actual page etc.., so we never even thought we had to warn her to not write on her seal, or not to place it on anywhere where it would be "obstructed."

Anyway, God is a glorious one and today, I pick up all of the newly notarized (she did it for free AGAIN for us) documents, and then head off to get them apostilled later this week. I fully expect to send an express package to Hand in Hand in Arizona by Friday!!

They already have the $3,500.00 we needed to submit to be able to file our registration application (dossier #1), so we are good to go there. We also have almost ALL of the money we need to complete trip #1, and pay the near $4,000.00 orphanage fee. We are also close to having the $900.00 to submit Ian's immigration petition to the USCIS. We need that clearance in order to make trip #2 and to bring him home.

We are closer than close to getting the date on which we meet our new son, brother, cousin, nephew, grandson, and friend. Thank you all, each and every soul who has given time, money, prayers, and worked to help us get this child to his family. We will never have words enough to say thanks, so we hope that through the years, if you remember us, and check up on our family blog, that you will feel thanks when you look at the pictures and read the stories of Ian growing up, with us.

PS. Whoever J.K. is, WE LOVE YOU!! This wonderful person has made a very generous donation to Ian and due to confidentiality agreements at Reece's Rainbow, we are not allowed to know your contact information so somehow, we hope you will see this message that we are SO grateful to you - what a great Christmas present you gave us! Thank you J.K.!