the happenings

Life style picture to be submitted to Ukraine with our Dossier

So many people have asked what I am doing, how do you adopt, what does it entail... 
I decided to tell you all about what my next 3 weeks will involve as I begin to submit my dossier. This is a fancy smancy word for all the paperwork, documents, interviews, history, blah blah... that is submitted to Ukraine.

I try to wake up a 4 am and get adoption stuff done, emails, appointments, filling out papers. It is the only time in this house that I am alone. It is quite and I have no one bothering me :)

It's actually happening.
Scattered across my antique desk in the upstairs hallway are 5 piles of papers. To do piles. For the last few months, I felt as though this was never going to happen, but as I sit here with these forms and my checklist it seems so reasonable. A huge paradigm shift from my feelings last week. 

So grateful for this feeling Lord, and my many piles. 

Pile #1: Today's todo list: FBI criminal report requests filled out, finger print cards (the real cool old fashion ink kind),  credit card authorization, and USPS priority mail envelope ready to be sent. When I receive the criminal report for both Adam and I, it will need to be notarized and apostilled.

Pile #2: Medical reports to be copied on kaiser letterhead and filled out in blue ink by our amazing doctor (who has already filled out 3 different forms from us in the last 6 months.) As well as a place for him to copy a license. Then it will be notarized and apostilled.

Pile #3: A salary verification form to be filled out by our human resources department, where she has to write in blue pen our net income for the last 6 months starting in July 2014, but first copy it on the district letter head. Then that will be notarized and apostilled.

Pile #4: Proof of home ownership to be filled out by any real estate agent verifying the market value of our home and our monthly payments. Also then notarized and apostilled.

And finally pile #5: Everything else :) 4 copies of Adam's and my passports, petition for a specific child (thats the most exciting form: that one has Alex and Yana's name on it. Asking Ukraine if we can have these specific kiddos, our kiddos), 11 or so other forms that we need to sign in front of a notary. 6 photos  of our everyday life to be submitted, and of course 3 copies of our completed home study. On top of that large pile is a name of a courier.  A person living in sacramento that will walk our completed notarized dossier to California's Secartary of State office to have everything apostilled and sent back to us the same day, for a fee of course.

These are a few of the life style pictures we are submitting to Ukraine

life style picture

When my piles are gone and submitted, I get my dates to travel about a month later. Hopefully my desk will be empty by late January. 
Ukraine here I come.

If you feel called to donate to bringing home Yana and Alex before the new year please do so here.

And thank you, every little bit helps.

This link is the estimated cost of adopting 1 child from Ukraine if anyone is interested. 

Is tomorrow Christmas eve?

"Mommy, how many more days until Christmas?"
"Mommy, is tomorrow Christmas Eve?"
"Mommy you said 2 more days?"

Yesterday, two little girls were hiding behind the decorated christmas tree, slowly peeling back tape on the tissue paper wrapped gifts sent from Grandma in Ohio.

"What are you doing?" I suspiciously questioned from the back yard.
No answer...crickets!
Adam walks inside the house from weeding the hill outside.
"You guys don't need to be over there, we have to wait until Christmas."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Wait...Waiting. All this preparation, the build up, the excitement, just to WAIT!

"I'm Elliot!"

I remember being a child and wanting to unwrap every gift... oh the despair! Would Christmas ever come?

I also remember the feeling I had when I didn't wait. It was worse...

My mom was on a flight (she was a flight attendant) and my dad was at work. The babysitter preoccupied with my baby sister. I snuck into my parents room from the back yard. Quietly pulling open the rolling mirrored doors. Finding the power ranger toys in my parents closet, all 5 guys where there..I went through the clothes, the candy, there wasn't one thing I didn't uncover.
I have never told anyone this and as I sit here and write, I feel like such a stinker.

I thought it was so much fun, but then hearing something in the hall way, I shoved everything back in the closet and ran outside to pretend like I was swinging on the swings the entire time.

Christmas came that year, and there wasn't one thing in the stocking or under the tree that was special, that was new or exciting. I took away the the marvel, the wonder, the anticipation of the day. I robbed my parents of the expression on my face when I saw the gifts for the first time. I robbed myself of believing.

Things are better when you wait. When you can share the experience with people that truly love you. To be in the timing God wants, not rushed or pushed, but the right time.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 So lately, "waiting" has been everywhere in my life. Obviously with the Christmas season, but also with the adoption process.
I am trying to wrap my head around how to wait faithfully when there are no signs of encouragement. Only the pressure to push forward from myself, and my friends chatter in my ear to go go go. The question of "when..."

We hadn't received some important papers from our agency and after emailing them 3 times this month we still had not received them.  It was heart wrenching. I asked Adam to get involved and write an email.
(I have really tried to take the reins during this adoption process, since I am only working part-time this year and Adam is in a new position. I basically come to him with stacks of paper and say sign here, and kinda let him know where we are at.) 

So we have basically been at a stand still, so Adam wrote an email asking whats going on and our agency had informed us they will get it done today and send it out, that was Monday. By Friday we still had not received it (or so I thought). This time Adam wrote another email that was not as kind as the first.
Adam is a gracious, kind, warm man, I am the brat in the relationship and it is so obvious that he wrote it because I was loosing faith and couldn't understand why we were still waiting.

 Basically not living by his grace but by my own timing.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path."

Proverbs 3:5-6

After the email was sent, I had a feeling to check the mail again, so I did. In the long mail slot pushed to the way back of our community mail box was a key that said #2. Oh Cr**! I thought...I suck.

I opened the larger mail box and the large orange envelope was sitting there with instructions on what to do next with 5 copies of the pack of papers I needed to move on.

It's official now and all paperwork with a 720 dollar check and 180 dollar check have been sent, or should I say "rushed" to Texas.

And now I wait! We wait! Alex and Yana wait! 

But this time, I got the message God, I will FAITHFULLY wait.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Yesterday, a guest pastor at our church said something and it made me laugh.

On Thanksgiving day, you smell the turkey cooking in the oven and you just want to pull it out and start the good eatin'...but you know what happens if you don't wait for the turkey to be done???

Salmonella. You are sick with salmonella.
I don't want a life of salmonella. If I rush and push for my timing, than that is what this process will end up being.
A long life of salmonella. Not fun.

"The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."

Lamentations 3:25

Thank you God for knowing the path in my life, thank you God for helping me recognize how to minimize the salmonella. Teaching me to wait for you. Trusting in your perfect timing.

I am learning to marvel in His amazing wonder, to faithfully wait and love Him. Everything will fall into place.

_________________________________________________________________________________

So no more peeking for me, but how do explain this to Lily and Elliot.

I'm not sure my 3 and 5 year old are going to have the peace of trusting in God's timing, and waiting until Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas!
Lots of Love,
Kimmy

Donate to bring Yana and Alex home here

"But for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me."

Micah 7:7

Shampoo for Christmas

"What do you want for Christmas?" 
A question every adult asks around this time of year. 

In the past, I have tried to meet every need, want, care of my girls. I am so guilty of completely over-indulging in the wonderful Christmas season. Which seemed like a good idea, except every year the day has ended with crying, tantrums, screaming, and fighting from over stimulated, extra tired, little girls not quite understanding what we are celebrating. They are/were missing the point. I was missing the point.

But not this year...
Now don't get me wrong, my girls are still getting their roller skates from Santa, but we have completely scaled back. Way. Back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reality check!
My daughters needs are met here in our warm two story home in San Diego. There is food in our fridge and avocados on our counter. There is hot and cold fresh water coming out of our faucets, jackets hanging in their closets and a mommy and daddy that love them more than life itself.

What do they need... there is never a time that we can not afford to buy them new socks or shoes. There is never a time that we can't afford dinner. I mean things get tight but there has never been a time that God hasn't provided.

He has provided my husband and I jobs. Jobs that support our growing family. And for that I am so grateful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How are you? I miss you. What do you want for Christmas, Alex?"
2 days later I receive a response through Ukrainian Facebook. 
"I cold. I want shampoo." 

The same question was asked by me as a message to Yana. The response I got,
"I too miss you."
She didn't even ask for anything for Christmas. There has been so many times in her life that she has gone without, does she not even know what to ask for? Or is it she doesn't want to be disappointed if the item never comes?

They live in a world I will never know. In a world where Head and Shoulder Shampoo is a luxury. 
I spoke to Vlad, a boy adopted 7 months ago. He told me he would wear 3 pairs of pants and many shirts to keep warm during the winter. And many nights to cold to sleep.

I am sending a box, 29 lbs, filled with winter gloves, coats, Oreos, head and shoulder shampoo (Alex's favorite), almonds, peanut butter pretzels, deck of cards, floss, tooth brushes, tooth paste, deodorant, razors....everything that we take for granted. Everything that we buy in bulk at Costco, and most of it just sits in our cupboards. 

These everyday items are gifts to kids across the world, to kids that do not have a thing that is their own.  Shampoo is a luxury to them.

It makes me stop and think how truly blessed I am. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you want for Christmas you ask?

Adam and I are a little more focused this year. A paradigm shift from the previous years. 

I have swapped Elf on the Shelf with the Truth About Tinsel this advent season. 
We decided that instead of Christmas gifts, we are going to build family memories. It sounds so much more fun than just opening presents they will play with for a week and then leave in the toy chest. (This is our last Christmas as a family of four, so lets make it memorable).  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have been given so much this year. And have been blessed by so many people.  

 I really feel called to give back.

And during this time of year, it's so easy to give...there are so many opportunities.

Every store I go into has a bell reminding me of God's glorious grace, and the fact that I am in a position to give to others. So cool. 
Also, I love those shoe boxes, and the fact I can track them! The girls have tried guessing where our deflated soccer balls are going to go. They think Ukraine.
Oh, not to mention those Angel Trees, they get me every. time. Seeing a sweet kiddos name hanging on a Douglas Fir, I have to take it off and see what they want. I loved having the girls pick out things for an 8 year old boy who likes action figures and Lego's and wears a size 7/8. 

"The LORD sends poverty and Wealth; he humbles and he exalts."

1 Samuel 2:7

Now, I would love to say the girls have totally changed this Christmas season, but that is sooooo not true.

The girls still do not understand that receiving does not need to be in excess. 
"I want. I want. I want." is a phrase that is oh so popular in their 3 and 5 year old vernacular. 
I pray that they learn to be satisfied with all they have, and not feel the need to always want more. 
It's crazy, walking through stores with them is like a scene from Finding Nemo. "Mine. Mine. Mine."

Someday they will get it. I hope.

Adoption Update...so we didn't make the December 10th deadline. Frustrating, I know, but everyone who says adoptions take forever...they are very right.

We are currently doing a Adorn for Adoption jewelry fundraiser. A fellow mommy, who has adopted from the same orphanage has graciously offered to sell Chloe+Isabel Jewelry on our behalf. All proceeds go to bringing Yana and Alex home. Please check it out, all purchase made through this link will fund our adoption. This fundraiser ends Monday December 8. Order now and get it in time for Christmas. Jewelry Fundraiser. 

And as always if you feel called to help, donate here.

Lots of love,
Kimmy