*With some bonus money coming in and a couple of donations, we have eclipsed the $10,000 mark in our fundraising! We still have a ways to go, but hitting that number was a great encouragement to us. We hope that we will be approved for an interest-free adoption loan for $13,700 (the total of the adoption tax credit). That would put us about 60% of the way to being fully-funded and that feels manageable.
*Our puzzle is now at 669 pieces! Only 81 more to go! As you have probably read, we are doing a giveaway...for every piece you purchase, you are entered into a drawing to win gift cards from Target, a restaurant of your choice, autographed sports' memorabilia, t-shirts, etc. There are 81 entries left...if you want to give and you want to be a part of the giveaway, now is your chance!
*We received our I-797 notice...meaning that the U.S. government has received our USCIS forms. In other words, they have our request to adopt. Assuming everything is filled out right, we may have permission to adopt in 30 days or so! (It could be longer, you never know with these things)
*We scanned our first set of dossier documents and sent them to our agency. They will review them, send them to EE for review, and then let us know if they are completed correctly. If they are, we will get them notarized, apostilled, and then sent overseas. Once they have our paperwork, they will be able to give us permission to travel! So, long story short, we could be seeing her in the not-to-distant future!
*We sold another t-shirt! We have really cool "Superman was Adopted" t-shirts for sale, and we can order them in any size. Let us know if you are interested in purchasing one...they are $15+$5 to ship up to four shirts.
*Tonight, we get to have dinner with some new friends who have adopted two kids from Kaylee's country...in fact, when they adopted their daughter she was about Kaylee's age. So, we are really looking forward to learning from all of their experiences.
So yeah, it has been a really good couple of days. On the non-adoption front, I've been overseeing the gym construction at VCA and it is going great. The wood floor has been laid and bleachers installed...sanding and paint should happen this week with everything done by the middle of August. Really exciting time for me and for our school family. I've also started writing on my blog again, which you can read here. Alyssa has been working every day on her garden and she is doing a wonderful job---tomatoes, banana peppers, green beans, strawberries, green onions, lettuce and green peppers are all starting to come in. She's also been working on some neat ideas for her Etsy store and should be launching them soon....The kids are starting mandatory volleyball and soccer practices this week and next and their teams are looking strong this year. I really hope Kaylee likes sports, because we sure have a lot of sports stuff going on around here!
Thanks for checking in on our blog...it is a true blessing and encouragement to feel the support of our friends and family and the adoption community. May the Lord bless you all---
"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."- Jude 1:24-25
Glad to hear the pace is picking up. I can't wait until you get to go and meet her :)
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