We are number one!!!

Just found at that the Schmidts got a referral for a little boy! We are so excited for them. For us that means one step closer to our baby. It is always nice to see some movement on the wait list. It makes waiting a little more bearable.
Again, Congrats to the Schmidts! We can't wait to see pictures.

My hope is slowly dying

So, for the last couple months I have been psyched because we were #2 for a boy. Woohoo! Right? or wrong? I am now at the point of being totally deflated and feeling like we will never get a referral. I know in my head that this is not the case, but I feel so heartbroken and let down by all of the build up. What makes me even more anxious, is the fact that there have been so few referrals since 2010 started. I've given every excuss, holidays, Haiti, only so many referrals allowed, and the list goes on. To the point where I have lost all excuses for what is going on. The not knowing in killing me. For now we are moving ahead, taking care of the kiddos, working, remodeling, going to church...etc. I continue to pray for baby Elliott and for all of our friends who are in the same boat as us. God will bring the right child, in the right time. I just wish he would let me in on the secret every once in awhile.

8 Years Ago today...

All this craziness started. Troy and I meet in Yukon at th Czech Polka Hall. We had both gone to the Polka Hall with seperate groups of people. I did ask him to dance and I did give him my phone number. But it was all in God's plan for us to end up together. I mean really, who meets like this? At a Polka Hall on Groundhog day? We have been together ever since. God has blessed us with a wonderful marriage, 2 beatiful kids, and plenty of food and shelter. God is so Good!!!

Seven months

Today marks 7 months on the wait list. We are getting so much closer to our little baby. I've been getting emotionally ready for our baby to come our way. I can't help but think that if we had gotten pregnant and had a baby that it would probably be in our arms right not. Sometimes that is hard to swallow. So, in the mean time, I've been enjoying my big kids and cuddling on other people's little ones. (Thanks to those of you who let me steal your babies on occasion!)

Troy got a new job!!!! We are so excited. He is still going to be working from home. Which we love that he gets to work from home. And I still get to sleep on the nights that I work! God is good. Sometimes you have to be patient for his timing.

The kids have enjoyed getting to play out in the snow. We took Collette, Tyler, and Aubree sledding on Ssaturday. They loved it. Yesterday the kids had a snowball fight. It's so much fun when there is snow here.

Let's play!

OK guys..no referral so far. We want your input. Post when you think we will get our referral and what we will get, boy or girl. Let's see who can get the closest to the date. We will post these on our blog so that everyone can see who wins. Please play along with us. We are trying to make the waiting just a liitle more fun and not so stressful.

Alright, bring on the posts!

Adoption process

I was requested an explination of the adoption process, so here it is from starrt to finish. You initially have to apply to the agency to see if you qualify. Once you pass that, which doesn't take very long, then you have the big huge packet to apply for adoption. At the same time you also have a dossier to complete. The dossier is the packet of documents that is sent to the other country to represent you. Both of these applications can take any where from 2 months to 6 months to complete, just depending on how fast you can get all of the documents. Along with these documents, there is also a homestudy that must be completed. Once all of this is done you have to get approval from the federal government to bring a child into this country. So, one of the last documents you wait on is CIS approval. That can take 4-6 weeks to get back. Once all of that is done and submitted then you are put on the "wait list". When we were first put on the wait list average wait time was 9 months. So at thiat time we were looking at March or April before we thought we would get a referral. Every month the average wit time can change. As of last month, the average wait time was 7.2 months. Once you recieve a referral then you have to wait for a court date. Court dates can be scheduled 2-3 months out. There is no guarantee that you will pass court the first time either. So, once you actually pass court then it is time to travel. This can take any where from 2-5 weeks. Then you get to be home and be a happy family! That's about it in a nutshell. So the whole process can take anywhere from a year to a year and a half.

Update: We reccieved a grant from http://www.showhope.org/. Go check out their website. They are a wonderful organization.

God is Good!!!!

Important Days

First off congrats to the two couples who recieved referrals yesterday. We are so excited for you.
I was thinking about when Troy and I met. It was on Feb 2nd, 2002. It was one of those God type stories because there is no way I would have ever thought up how we met. Then I was thinkng about our referral, shocker, and how cool it would be if it was on or near the anniversay of when we met. It would be amazing if we meet our baby on the same day we met, eight years later. We could add such a wonderful twist to our story. All this being said, I am trying to not be so anxious for our referral. God willl bring us our baby when the time is right. Just like he brought us together when he knew our hearts were ready. Just like he brought our other two kiddos at just the tight moment. He knows and we can wait patiently for his timing.

We want to know when you think our referral will be. Just comment on this post and we will add it to our referral guessing list. Let's at least have fun while we wait!