Wednesday, February 15, 2012

We Are DTC


For the past 8 months, we've been working on a little something behind the scenes. And, finally, we are DTC! So what in the world does that mean? It means "Dossier to China", baby! Yes, we are adopting again, and at the moment, our dossier of all the important documents that took 8 months to collect is on its way to China.

We have known we would be going back to China to adopt another child since we were in China the last time adopting our Lia Kate. We finally decided the time was right to start on paperwork again so here we are. We anticipate being matched in the next few months and then travel in the Fall. We are excited to be on this journey again. It has been a journey already with bumps in the road, paperwork delays and wild goose chases. But it's all so worth it and all in God's timing. And, having done this before, we have mostly been at peace with the twists and turns of this process so far.

So, next up is LID, then we are matched with a child, then we wait for PA, then LOA, then I800, then Art 5, then TA, then CA. Then travel! But we won't get ahead of ourselves (or the acronyms) for now. I'll fill you in on what all that means as we move through the process.


I love this picture of my two monkeys who are so excited to be a big sister and a big brother! And I love their shirts that say "One less orphan in China" created by my China adoption coffee group here in town.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentines Day


It's Valentines Day again. Such a fun day with little kids. I always have fun making Valentine cards for their classmates. Last year, we did a version of the photo Valentine. It was so easy and fun, I wanted to do it again. Found this idea on Pinterest and decided to combine the two ideas.

So, making crayons was so much fun and a great way to get rid of the broken crayons. Also a great way to keep little hands busy. Here are our colorful heart crayons...




The finished product...


My little Valentines...

Valentines Day is also a special day around here because, four years ago, it is the first time we heard the words "he's ready to go home" after six long weeks in the NICU. On Valentines night, Danny & I spent the night in the NICU caring for Britton without the nurses, as we learned how to use his monitors, etc. And the next morning, we finally brought him home.