Passport Arrived!

I received my passport in the mail the other day and Troy's is almost done!  Yay!  Still waiting on the fingerprints, though.  I am fairly certain they are lost somewhere.  I sure hope not.  One of the nice girls at Holt told me that they could be here this week.  I am hoping for that.  With adoption, one little thing like that holds up the rest of the process.  I am not sure if our dossier will be in Ethiopia by Christmas or not.  That is all I want for Christmas Santa!  Do your best!

Friends Are Moving On That List!

Two fellow Ethiopian adoptive families are just cruising down the list for a referral!  I am so happy for them and hope, when it comes time, that the same will happen for us.  I am still pretty frustrated with our fingerprint return time, but I got an email today that my passport is on the way.  So, I am happy about that!  I would like to have all of our paperwork in by Christmas, but at this rate, who knows?  Ugh.  Patience Courtney...patience.

I Am No Saint

Where oh where are my fingerprints?  Yes, yes, I know they are on my fingers.  We sent them to the government about one month ago and still nothing.  Holt did tell me it could take up to six weeks.  I thought, nah, not mine.  I don't have a record.  I have been a pretty good kid, so now it is time to reap the benefits.  Uh...yea...wrong.   Guess it doesn't matter with this if you are naughty or nice.  Maybe it is because my last name is Smith.  Betcha there are lots of Smiths to get through.  So, yes, I blame Troy.  Easy target.

Rough Couple of Days

   My nephew can't seem to keep himself out of trouble and really seems to have done it this time.  I don't pretend to understand what goes through his head, but I really want him to get his life figured out.  He is a smart kid, yet makes horrible decisions.
   My cousin, Jolene, passed away this morning.  She had cancer and we knew this was imminent, yet it is still painful.  Rest in peace Jolene.  I am thinking of her family today and pray that God has taken Jolene safely home and that He gives her family peace.
   With all the sadness, I look at my boys and I am grateful.  We receive many gifts in this world and we are tested with pain.  I don't know what my life would be like without my little guys in it.  What a terrible place this world would be without children. 
   Thank you Jesus for my family and please be with those that need you as well as those that don't know they need you.

Paperwork Paperwork Paperwork!!!

So, here we are in the whole adoption process!  We have been accepted into the Ethiopia program by our adoption agency (Holt International).  We are now gathering the information needed to get our home study done and we are also working on our dossier, which is a huge packet of information that is sent into the foreign country.  It is somewhat tedious, but really not all that bad.  As soon as our fingerprints have returned from the government, we can finish our home study.  We are also waiting for our passports.  There are also required classes in November that we must take.  So, there is alot of waiting with intermittent paperwork.  Oh yeah....and the money.  Lots and lots o' money.  That is why our future holds many fundraisers.  Fun fun!  But, well worth it in the end!

A BLOG!

I cannot believe that I am now a blogger.  I didn't even know what a blogger was a year ago.  I know, a little behind on the times.  I wanted to do this so we can share with everyone where we are on our adoption!  It will also be helpful when it comes to fundraising because we will certainly need help along the way.  Thanks for stopping by!