Just For You Katelynn

A certain daughter of mine has been whining that I don't update my blog often enough. So, Katelynn, tonight I'm sitting down here to do this even though I'm really tired and have had a very long day and really just want to go to bed. See how much I love you? Actually, I'm just kidding. She is right and I don't sit down to do this often enough. Mostly cause things aren't moving super fast and there isn't much to say about our "paperchase."

We did go to orientation on Saturday, finally. Our agency wasn't very happy about us missing the assigned orientation in August due to our California trip. Of course, that could have because we totally forgot to call and tell them we wouldn't be there. The presentation itself was a bit tedious since I've already accomplished most of what they were explaining to us about our dossier and since we've been through the process once already. However, we really enjoyed the opportunity to visit with Kristi Kloenne from our travel group who is also starting adoption number 2. We are so excited to have Kristi and Jeff going through the process at the same time we are. It would be a blast to travel with them again, but what are the odds?

We also had our last visit with our social worker for our home study update before the orientation. She will finish up our update and send it on it's appointed rounds as soon as I get positive blood tests back. We are hoping that will happen late this week and she can be done next week. This is really the last piece of our dossier that we have even an ounce of control over. After that we rely on government bureaucracies to finish the process for us. When we get this report we can take everything to be notarized and then for certification and authentication. That can all be happening while we wait for the USCIS to decide if we are still sound candidates for parenting. Sounds like a lot, but it is mostly just waiting from here on out.

It seems that Mara has suddenly moved to a new level of language ability. She has begun to answer our questions appropriately rather than just repeat the last word we have said to her. Suddenly communication is so much easier! She has also taken up another very charming habit, that of wandering around the house singing. I have no idea what she is singing but it is very pleasant. What a happy little girl she is. We are so thankful that God has blessed her (all of us really) with such a successful bonding and adjustment to her new life and family.

Nikki is quite busy with her senior year. She has an "extended essay" to complete for her IB program which is quite the big deal. (It seems like a regular old "term paper" from my high school days, but is presented in a much more ominous fashion to IB candidates.) She also must complete 150 CAS hours (creativity, action and service,) another requirement of IB which I'd love to explain better but I simply don't understand so I'll leave it at that. She successfully auditioned for Spartones, the school's jazz choir and hopes to win a role in the upcoming school musical. Homecoming is this Saturday and she plans to attend with friends. Yep, typical Nikki schedule!

Katelynn is busy at CU with both classes and job. She is taking Chinese along with her business classes and it sounds HARD! But good preparation for a Chinese business internship she is longing to do in the next year or so. She has a job in the dorms again this year but it is in a convenience shop for students rather than straight food service like the past two years. Sounds more interesting to me, hopefully she is enjoying it as much as a college job can be enjoyed.

Jeff is still trying to finish up the yard before winter hits. He has finished a really cool playset for Mara and single-handedly put up a great fence. (Well, actually Nikki helped him manuever the equipment for the digging of post holes--thanks Nikki!) The weeds are mostly gone and landscape cloth has taken their place awaiting their coverings of mulch and stone. We still hope to get a few trees in before fall is over. It WILL be done someday.

Well, that's our lives these days. See why I don't update Katelynn? Not much to say. We continue to ask for your prayers as we complete the dossier process and for our little girl in China. If we receive a child similar to Mara's age at referral, she would be 6 months old already. Isn't that strange to think about?