Bubbles

I had planned to blog today about the place Noah was abandoned and the orphanage he lives in and conditions but received this awesome picture yesterday...

Looks like it has warmed up quite a bit in Henan (its officially summer here in Georgia).  Noah looks so happy and many of you might recognize this same friend on the left; he is in many of the pictures we receive.  They are said to be best friends and partners in crime.  

I searched for his file (not for us but to advocate) months ago and found nothing.  I think God is reminding me that we can provide hope for other orphans even if we don't personally adopt them.  Stay tuned...

I800A on its way

I was notified yesterday our I800A has been submitted by Heartsent Adoptions Inc. and is on its way to USCIS.  In the next week we should be assigned an immigration caseworker.  I have read it will take 45 days for us to receive approval.  With the July 4th holiday approaching, I bet it might take a few extra days.

Other news we have to share is it seems we are 1-2 weeks ahead of schedule with certification & authentication of the dossier documents.  Luke and I filled out the form for the Chinese Consulate this morning.  That also means we will be making our next payment 1-2 weeks earlier than originally expected.  (Disclaimer-we do not know when we will be approved to travel but I think late November is a possibility at this point)

I want to be transparent on this blog so I will state the obvious-things are tight.  We are saving and sacrificing.  If you know us personally you have probably observed how 'cheap' we have become-no more date nights, eating out or unnecessary spending.

We are grateful that Luke was approved to teach an extra class this summer.  We are also very grateful for the donations towards Noah's adoptions.  Does it scare me that next week we will write another $4,100 check?  Yes, absolutely.  Hang tight, Noah-we are coming for you!

T-shirts Round 2

We had such a great response to the fundraiser t-shirts that we are putting together another order.  The shirts are $25 each.  Please comment below if you would like to order one and I will contact you tonight for sizes and shipping address.  Thank you!

Happy Father's Day!

We celebrated Father's Day yesterday for Luke and I snapped this picture of him with Ella and Beckett.  He is wearing one of the Hope For Noah fundraiser t-shirts.
He was so funny he came down the stairs in the morning with it on and wanted to make sure I wasn't also wearing mine (I have been almost every day since it arrived).

He's such a loving and patient dad to our children already, I can't wait to see him with Noah.  This was his last Father's Day without him.

Art Class

Look who is enjoying art class! This is picture a contact of mine shared and that is Noah on the far left. He receives support at the orphanage because he is visually impaired (low vision which is a result of albinism).  Many of his classmates also have low vision.

Noah working hard on firework paper

I-800A & Dossier Documents

Last week the chaos of yard sale organization and pricing I forgot to update with very important news-we mailed our I-800A to our adoption agency, Heartsent Adoptions Inc. in California on Monday and then on Thursday our dossier documents and photographs for review.

An I-800A is the US Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS) form used to initate the adoption process for Hague countries.  It usually takes 2-3 months for this to be processed.  It costs $720 to file the I-800A and $170 ($85 per person) for a biometrics processing fee.  We will now be waiting on an invitation to be fingerprinted at the USCIS office...seems like in an adoption you are always waiting!

A dossier is a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject.  Our dossier documents have already been notarized.  Next they will be certified at the state level and then authenticated by the Chinese Consulate or Embassy.  Since we are adoption Noah from China our dossier included:

Letter of Application (notarized)
Home Study (completed but changes being made this week)
Photographs of home and community
Certified copies of our birth certificates
Certified copy of our marriage license
Employment letters (notarized)
Financial statement (notarized)  
Medical records-physicals (notarized)
Police clearance letter (notarized)
Reference letters from 3 different people-we included 4 (notarized)
Color copies of our passports
New passport photos

If you have been following our journey to adopt Noah you might recognize some of these documents, many were a part of the home study which was completed by a local agency in Georgia, One World Adoption Services.  After we receive the I-800A approval letter our dossier documents will be sent to the Secretary of State for certification.  

I look at Noah's pictures constantly and hope that he knows we are his family that loves him and are working very hard to adopt him (I'm sure he doesn't know this yet...he's only 2 1/2).  But we would really appreciate your prayers for the documents to be reviewed, submitted, certified and authenticated as quickly as possible.  Please continue to keep Noah in mind as this process is so lengthy and ultimately he is waiting in an orphanage. 

Noah looking at a picture book we sent him thru a courier service called Ladybugs N Love

Yard Sale Success

What a huge success-we raised $670 at the yard sale today! The weather was great, lots of friends and family came out to support Noah's adoption and our community made big purchases and generous donations.

Our daughter, Ella manned the lemonade and cookie table and it was a hit.  She made her own sign and taped on pictures of Noah so everyone could see who the money supported.

 Beckett & Ella

Sweet friends

Unfortunately (or fortunately) we were so busy with the yard sale I don't have any pictures of the items.  Six tables and ten bins were filled with clothing, shoes, toys, household items and furniture. What didn't sell we donated to The Place of Forsyth County, The Goodwill and a local church nursery.

Yard Sale

We are having a yard sale on Saturday, June 8th from 8 AM-1 PM at our house.  All sales will go towards Noah's adoption expenses.

I have been overwhelmed by the donation of items from our small group, family and generous neighbors.  In addition, a few people are donating baked goods and our daughter, Ella will be manning a lemonade stand.

I'm really hoping the Hope For Noah t-shirts will be delivered soon (before Saturday) and our family will be able to wear them at the yard sale.

If you have something you would like to donate towards the sale, please let us know and I will make arrangements to pick it up.  If you're close enough, we hope you'll drop by and help support Noah!