Fall is here!

Now where is that little girl????

It that time of year again…Fall! I love the cool mornings and the sunny warm days. But this year it is different for me. A year ago yesterday I arrived home to my three sons after spending three weeks in the Ukraine. John was left behind to wait out the ten day period imposed by the Ukrainian Government, and I received the ‘Get out of jail free card!” and I boarded a plane in Kiev and headed home…

There’s no place like home! There’s no place like home!

Suffering from jet lag, and missing both John and Carrington, I set out to find Aidan’s Halloween costume and play the single parent for three weeks. We decorated the house, bought candy, and I slept…a lot.

So, we have celebrated Carrington “Gotcha Day” with little fan fare, but a whole lotta love. We all are so glad to have him here in our lives. We have sent off his first placement report, found the first Halloween costume, and attended his first official festivities at our church. The yearly Harvest Festival was a lot of fun. In the end Carrington had so much candy that he had to make a trip to the car to dump the loot. We will be going to Uncle Mikes house on Halloween night where he will eagerly attack the neighborhood in search of more treats. Ah, but isn’t life grand? Can ya say cavities???? Bring on the flouride toothpaste!

In other worlds where my life evolves around the quest to bring home my Rose, my homestudy is done…and wrong. They reversed some figures and sent it off to the state with the wrong info concerning my home value, and mortgage. Hopefully we won’t have any issues. The changes are being made, and a new report will be here for the dossier, but not for the state of California.

One of the perks of working for a staffing agency is the ability to pull a notary out from the list of applicants we have in the system. I was fortunate enough to find M available and willing to come on down to my work on my lunch hour and notarize my Branch Managers ‘Jane Hancock’, as well as that of John and myself. It was fast and painless. Thank you M!

I am waiting for the FBI finger print clearance cards to come back (a new feature they have so nicely added to the forever changing Russian dossier document list for our region) and then I will be able to get ‘em Apostilled, and shoot my dossier off for translation. Yeah!

We are moving soooo slow compared to Carrington’s adoption, but we knew it would be that way. It will happen when and how it is suppose to happen. God is in control…

I am looking on the internet and swooning over little girl room décor.

And so it goes….all is well in my adoption world…for now :)

Moving right along...

Well, it is now October and things are moving along. For those family members in other states, thanks for the kind words and loving wishes. We too are so excited!


So, here is the current update: I have managed to get a number of items checked off my list this past week…After TWICE submitting our children’s school reports, the third set was finally received. Reports and other paperwork into Adoption Options…Check! Carrington had his first ever American birthday party at age 13 and had a blast! Check Check! Cleaned up the house after the birthday party, Triple Check (what a mess!) and last but not least complete a very complex staffing project at work...BIG check!


Believe it or not, our biggest worry at present time is getting a referral too early. To many that would sound strange, but to us it is real. Normally it can takes years to complete this process, especially for those waiitng for little girls. The holidays are fast approaching, and last year I arrived home in just enough time to take Aidan trick or treating while John remained in the Ukraine with Carrington. As a matter of fact, it was one year ago today that John and I boarded the flight to the Ukraine to go get Carrington! Time sure does fly!


Anyway, it was tough to get myself motivated to do holiday stuff last year with all the jet lag and catching up that had to happen. Throw in the fact that the Russian government has a lot of closers during the holidays, the weather is terrible (I DON’T DO SNOW WELL AT ALL) and it becomes complicated and lengthy to stay there. Something we don’t have time to do…


Another aspect to this all is the FANTASTIC efficiency at which our agency is working. They have been getting referrals for babies in as little as month after they Dossier has been submitted. Three children have found families in the last 6 months in record time. This seems like a WOW To those who have been waiting for years and find themselves currently stalled with the accreditation issues…but it really comeS down to who you are working with and what region they are in. Not all agencies are created equal, nor do they have the same connection or facilitators. I have EVERY faith in my agency as they have come through for me before with Carrington in record time (when other had been waiting years for a appoinmant at the NAC and SDA) and I trust the team will do the same again. So, given all that, and being the optimistic person I am, we have decided to submit the dossier now, but will not accept any referrals (should we receive one) until the spring. It is what is best for our family, our jobs and our lives.

With that being said, oh my but do I see pink everywhere! I was in Kohl’s the other day and saw the sweetest pink and leopard dress! I was itching to buy it, but decided that was extremely impractical, as I have no idea what age my daughter will be! Still, it is something I have never had to do before…and it felt good to just think about buying something pinkJ