Our Christmas tree looks better in person, it looks pretty skinny in this picture.

Adoption Update:
We have our one and only homestudy meeting tonight. The dossier is coming along nicely, I am waiting on only a couple of things. As soon as our homestudy is completed we are able to apply for adoption grants.

Pho

 

Keith made us a nice pot of Pho for supper. It's still hard for me to eat this after 3 years. It seemed like all 27 days that we were in Vietnam, we ate this at least once a day.

Adoption Update: We started on our dossier and everything is going well so far. We will have our homestudy visit on December 1st, we only have one visit this time since it's going to be just an update. We originally requested 2 girls, but this probably is not going to happen unless a sibling group of 2 girls comes open. It seems that people are more willing to adopt girls, so already having two boys, I just know how sweet boys can be, so we may end up with two more boys. Race would love to have some basketball competition, I'm sure.

Hope is Fading – Orphan Sunday from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.

 

Van eating a smore(minus the hershey). By the looks of his face, I think he enjoyed it!

Adoption Update:
still working on paperwork for our homestudy and some follow-up with the application for the adoption agency

 

We have been in Georgia for the past week, Keith's granny passed away last Wednesday, she was 89 years old. Some things I remember about her:
she liked cats
she loved flowers
we went blackberry and pea picking together a time or two
she loved to have a visit from Race, even in his rambunctious years (Race and I would go for walks when he was pretty young and we'd stop by Papa and Granny's house pretty regularly to chat)

What is your child learning in school?

 

Race is learning the many uses of erasers.

The boys are still sleeping this morning. I have been working on my verses for Sunday School, we are working on memorizing the book of 1 John.

Exciting News-We are adopting from Ethiopia through All God's Children International. We are requesting a girl between the ages of 18 mos-4.5 years. We would like to get siblings, but we do not know if that is a possibility for us right now. We know to hold things loosely when it comes to international adoption. The time frame is anywhere from 6-21 mos. I think. If you a referred a waiting child it goes a lot quicker, but the children on the waiting list right now seem to be older than we are requesting. Our agency requires that the adopted child be at least 10 mos. younger than the youngest child in your home.

3 years ago we headed off

 

Three years ago today we boarded a plane headed for Hanoi, Vietnam. Just the day before we were at the Immigration office here in Louisville being told that we did not need to board that plane and leave because they did not have Van's immigration document ready. But, God had different plans. He worked through friends, family and acquaintances to get this document where it needed to be when it needed to be there.

What a sad picture of Van. Just to know him now, a boy full of smiles and words, lots of words, sometimes too many words.

I am looking forward to Vietnam possibly reopening for adoption in January.