I was recently reminded that I haven't posted here since the end of October, so I'm finally taking a few minutes to sit down and try to catch up on the past couple of months. Since this is supposed to be our adoption journey blog, I'll start with that topic.
We finally finished the followup questions from ICBF (which I somehow didn't realize or remember were an update to our home study - duh!!). The document presumably was received at CHI in St. Louis on Monday, Dec. 15 and then hopefully received at ICBF in Colombia by the end of that week. However, since that was just before the holidays, Julie told us that it is likely we won't hear anything from them until the end of January (it apparently takes them about four weeks to process the paperwork). As I understand it, I think what we are supposed to "hear" next will be the approval from ICBF, hopefully followed soon by a referral of the two siblings God has chosen just for us. It's a complete guess on my part, but maybe we might be traveling in early March to get the kids?????
The timing might be a little tricky because our employment letters, doctor's letter and FBI clearances will once again expire in February (they are only good for six months), so I suspect we will have to have those done again (and pay the various associated fees again). It's a bit frustrating to think of having to do them a third time, but we are confident that God's timing is perfect and everything will fall into place at just the right time.
So, that's where things are with the adoption journey - still waiting; still don't know who our kids will be; still watching to see how God will sort out all the pieces of the puzzle to put our new family together. :-)
Working backward a bit, on Nov. 13 Jeff's mom passed away after a long battle with cancer and other illnesses. We spent about a week in Washington state as the family gathered to say goodbye to her and to share memories and even laughter. It is rare for all of us to be together for more than a day, so it was a precious time to spend with his siblings and extended family who traveled from great distances to be together.
The week after we returned home was Thanksgiving. We enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by my sister - turkey with all the trimmings - and shared with friends and some of my brother-in-law's family. On Friday we headed back up to Washington to watch our niece perform in a community theater production of "The Fiddler on the Roof" and to eat another wonderful meal prepared by Jeff's sister and shared with their family and his dad. It was just a quick overnight trip this time, but we are glad we were able to do it.
December started calmly enough, weatherwise, but around Dec. 14 the snow started falling in the evening and kept on falling on and off for several days! This is pretty unusual around here - we might get an inch or so but it doesn't usually last - but this time things were different. Granted, those of you who live where you get "real" snow (measured in feet not inches!) probably find this amusing, but here in our valley it's a pretty big deal and slows things down quite a lot. Of course, areas north of us really had problems with ice and packed snow and highway and airport closures - thankfully, we just had a touch of winter to remind us it was December. I was thankful to be able to work from home for a couple of days and to work shorter hours on other days so I didn't have to be out on the roads much. Things are pretty much back to normal now - at least here; up north they are probably still in the process of thawing out.
Snow on our back patio (above)
Our snow-covered back yard
We enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve with our friends (and they include my sister & brother-in-law) who have become like extended family to us. After a wonderful dinner, we go to church for the Christmas Eve service and then return to their home for dessert and games. They are in the process of adopting another daughter, and each time we get together we wonder what it will be like "next year" with the additional three kids we will be bringing home! It's gonna be a houseful - that's for sure!!
Our cute little Christmas tree
We spent Christmas Day at my sister's and enjoyed a quiet day (and another great meal) with just the four of us. We shared gifts; talked to faraway family on the phone; and had a good time together.
Well, that pretty much catches us up, I believe. Jeff and I have enjoyed a fairly quiet four-day weekend and will head back to work tomorrow for the final few days of 2008. We look forward to the changes, surprises, joys and challenges that await us in 2009, and trust that God will give us the strength to get through each thing that comes along. We are thankful for our friends and family who mean so much to us and who share in our lives in various ways. We hope that 2009 brings each of you blessings and happy surprises throughout the year.
With love and best wishes,
Jeff & Jennie :-)
