Our Girls Are Home!!

More details from out trip to follow when I can get over my jet lag!

The Girls are coming home soon!

We just have a few things left and then we can get them! 
Keep us in your prayers as it's the home stretch and lots to do!

Thank You!

To all my friends and family, I thank you!  I am and have been overwhelmed at your generosity over that past few months to think of us.

Your prayers have worked!!!  I just got the message that the girls have passed their medical review and are awaiting their Visa appointments.  This is the last thing before we are given the clear to go get them!

In the mean time, I need to get a couple of missing vaccinations, finish home preps (I'm deep cleaning and streamlining every room!), and the arrangements for those staying behind. 

Please continue to pray for the travel and transition that lays before us!

Lifesong Adoption Funding

Several of you have asked about helping Karl and I with our adoption expenses knowing we were caught off guard by the quickness of the matching and the sheer volume of fees.  I had stated before we were working on several grants and loans.  Unfortunately we have received no funding from those applications due to either not enough funds in their accounts or others with more financial need than our own.  Yesterday we were notified that the reimbursement the military does for active duty members adopting will not be awarded because Karl is retiring before the adoption will be finalized ($4,000).  One non-profit group, Lifesong for Orphans has set up a tax-deductible account for us.  We had been hoping for the match grant, but this is better than nothing.  If you have not maxed out your Charitable Donations deductions, please consider this organization and helping us with the final stretch in being able to bring the girls home.  If you do not need the deduction but want to sent us some aid, you can send it directly to us or to Catholic Charities of Baltimore with our last name listed for where to direct the funds.

Below is the letter I typed up according to the needs of the Lifesong organization.  I changed the areas where you put in our last name to (our Last Name) because of privacy reasons on my blog.  Make sure you put our last name and not "our last name". :o)  Apparently my blog is a big hit in a couple foreign countries according to the blog traffic tracker.

I also have a letter from Lifesong to explain their non-profit group and purpose.  I can send that to you if you wish to see it, but for space and time reasons, I am not putting it here.

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing to you today to ask for your help.  As you know, we have been seeking to increase our family through adoption.  Since God has blessed us with an abundance of love we wish to share that love with children in need of a blessed family.  The latest numbers estimate there are 153 million orphans in the world and every year millions of those children are aged out of the system.  Usually between the ages of 15-18, the children are required to leave the orphanage to attempt to live as an adult without the safety net of a family to help them get started.  As James states in the Bible, we “must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil.” (James 1:27 CEV).  For some, help is in the form of adoption; others feel called to help by missionary work or donations.  We felt the call to adopt.

 

As you have been made aware, the choice to adopt is a difficult one which is then followed by much discernment into how, where, and why.  After comparing the requirements of in-country verses over-seas adoptions, we chose over-seas adoption.  We have been in close contact with other adoptive families in the area who have adopted from other countries.  Through their experiences, we chose to use Catholic Charities as our adoption agency.  We knew we had the ability to adopt a sibling group and asked at our informational meeting about those options.  We were given two country options, Ethiopia and the Philippines.  Immediately we felt drawn to the Philippines through our knowledge of the culture and how it closely matched our family.  After a year of paperwork and inspections, last July we were matched with two beautiful girls in need of a family from the Philippines.

 

Criselda is 11 years old and Christine is eight.  The girls have been with the Rehoboth Children’s Home for almost two years.  Rehoboth is an American Christian orphanage that focuses on trying to place children in adoptive homes.  Their profiles actually make them a surprising close match to our family.  Criselda has similar likes and personality to Isabella while Christine is nearly identical to Anton.  Recent Google Chats have solidified this initial impression, while creating more excitement to unite us all under one roof.

After recovering from the shock of being matched so quickly, as our social worker thought it could be years before it would happen, we got to work on the next steps to bring our girls home.  While quick fixes like rearranging bedrooms were more exciting, finding the funds to cover each set of fees has been more concerning.  We have been fortunate enough to cover all the fees as they came due over the past year.  However as it comes close to the travel time, the expenses are coming in quicker than we can save.  As it stands, we have roughly $10,000 left in program fees and travel expenses.  We are trying to not create debt but will resort to this if necessary.  Many of you have asked for ways in which you can assist our family in our journey.  Here are two ways you can help:

1.       Prayer – Please pray for our family as we continue to work through the paperwork and details to be able to bring Criselda and Christine home.  Pray for our family as we prepare to make this big change in our lives, our travel, and our adjustment period. 

2.       Financial support – Will you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining $10,000 in adoption expenses we need to bring Criselda and Christine home.

If you are able and feel called to help us with this final stretch of our journey, you can send your tax-deductible gift between now and February 1, 2013 to the address below.  Lifesong for Orphans is a non-profit organization that collects funds and will pay adoption expenses out of those funds received.

1.       Please make checks payable to “Lifesong”.  In the memo section of the check, write “(Our Last Name)#3182 adoption”; this is our family’s account. (*Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong which retains full discretion and control over its use.  If our generous friends and family give more funds than we need to complete our adoption, the remaining funds would be distributed to other families seeking assistance for their adoptions.)

2.       Mail checks to:

Lifesong for Orphans

Att: (Our Last Name) #3182

P.O. Box 40

Gridley, IL 61744

If you wish to make a donation on-line, please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), thus decreasing the amount being donated to our account.  However, this might be the most expedient form for some of you.

1.       Go to the website for Lifesong for Orphans: http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate/

2.       Click on the “Make a one-time donation” button under the “Donate by Credit Card” section.

3.       At the Gift Preference pull down menu, select Adoption Funding

4.       A new button will appear, Adoption Gift Preference.  Select Family Specific.

5.       A section to type in Family ID Number and Name will appear.  Our Family ID Number is “3182” and Family Name is “Our Last Name”.

We thank you for your time and prayers during this new chapter in our lives!  May God bless you as you prepare for Christmas and the New Year.

Love and Blessings,

Karl, Karissa, Anton, and Isabella

IGoogle Chatting with Our Girls!

I know it had been awhile since I spoke about the status with the girls and our adoption.  Mostly, we have been very busy with Christmas preparations, travel to KY for Thanksgiving, and more adoption paperwork.  We did have a small issue with the girls I-800 paperwork, but it has been resolved.  The girls will be getting their pre-passport paperwork soon which they need to make their appointments for their medical exams.  Once they pass their medical, then we are given the clear to make arrangements to retrieve our daughters.  Yeah!!!

The most exciting thing that has been happening with the girls is that once a week since Thanksgiving, we have been able to Google-Chat with them.  One of the directors set up an account with us and we both click on at the designated time.  It has given us time to get to know the girls more and see them interact with Anton and Isabella.

Criselda just lights up with Isabella.  Those two are like peas in a pod.  The two tend to take up most of the talk time laughing and giggling over girl stuff.  Christine is more like Anton.  She quietly takes it in but when she wants to say something or likes something we are well aware of her thoughts.  We have a bit of language problem.  We tend to talk too fast and the girls can't always find the right words they want to use.  Most of the time Pauline is at the chat times who is fluent in English and Tagalog.  We also draw a lot of pictures.

Both girls want to learn piano and horse back riding.  Christine wants the dogs to sleep with her while Criselda is not so sure about it.  In the Philippines, dogs are mostly used as guard dogs NOT pets.  She is nervous that our dogs only like us because they know us, she doesn't understand that golden retrievers are just loving happy dogs.

Christine loves legos, pink, and soccer.  She is fascinated with anything Anton shows of his legos.  When we sent a movie Anton made with his legos, she was totally glued and eyes wide with excitement.  She spends a long time drawing and quietly studying us.  It reminds me of when Anton was younger as he would spend time just watching his surroundings before jumping into the action.  But once when all four children made their hands into puppets it was fun to see them all acting like kids together.  Christine does like the dogs a lot!  She always asks where they are if they are not in the computer frame.

Criselda loves art, light blue, and cooking.  She has teased Isabella about making chicken adobo (chicken marinated in vinegar and soy sauce) with our chickens.  Isabella was very quick to point out our current chickens are egg laying pets.  Criselda was confused and wondered if we ate chicken.  I explained we go to the farmer who gives us our meat chickens.  I'm not sure she totally understood.  In a country with lots of poor, you would not consider a chicken a pet and it would be common to eat the hens after they stopped laying.  When you are poor, there is no waste.  So we know Criselda will have no problems taking care of meat chickens if we decide in the future to do this, but Bella just can't seem to bring herself to eat an animal she cares for.  I said long ago, she has the possibility of becoming a vegetarian if it wasn't for her love of bacon.  When we get off the chat time, Bella just is a ball of excitement bouncing everywhere exclaiming how she just can't wait till her sisters come home.

A couple weeks ago, the girls asked if we could come for a visit.  When we said we were going to come get them when we come, it was a realization for Criselda they would be leaving the Philippines.  Her facial expressions got sad as she was going through the thoughts of leaving the place she has come to love and feel secure.  But you could also see her struggle with wanting to come be with us also.  Our last chat, she seems to have come to terms with the changes about to happen to her and Christine.  She has started saying things like "I can't wait till you come," and telling Isabella they will be together soon.  She is very happy when she says this.  When we were getting off the chat, the girls said "I love you!"  It was a touching moment but we had to go.  I just let the thought sink in and marveled at the changes that have taken place in just about 5 weeks.  I know the adjustment period will be hard, but I am not nervous anymore.  We will all blend eventually and life will change in a very good way!

RIP Our Beloved Roo!

 

A couple days before Christmas, I noticed Thompson not crowing like normal.  Being the inexperienced chicken owner, I thought maybe it was because it was supper windy and his comb might get frostbitten.  Anton applied some Vaseline to the comb, but it was already bleeding.

 

The next day, Thompson was acting depressed but we again figured he would come around.

 

Christmas morning, Bella comes to the door with tears streaming carrying her boy's listless body screaming that he was dying.  We were just at a loss of what to do.  Karl and I spent much time searching the Internet but knowing with it being Christmas there was little we could do for our boy.  We kept him warm and gave him some Gatorade but by late afternoon he was gone.  Karl buried him in the back land and our girls are beside themselves in the coop today realizing that he didn't come back home to the coop.

 

Thompson's death has educated us on a few things we didn't know about chickens and now we are a little more prepared.  Apparently when you notice a chicken not doing well, they are already pretty sick.  I am suspecting a gape worm problem, which is a parasite that starts to clog the throat and trachea.  We didn't know we should have been giving them some organic preventative, but once infested, you have to use the chemicals.  So, I am off to Tractor Supply to pick up some de-worming medicine and we will be off the girls' eggs for about two weeks.  After that, I am going to start the preventative to hopefully not have to use chemicals again.

 

The less quick fix now is what to do about more chickens.  We know we need more and the little coop is not going to cut it.  Thus, when we can, we will build a bigger coop in the back land.  Then we need to order more chicks to start over again.  We are still keeping the girls we have, but with two more children arriving, we are going to need more eggs.  With no rooster, we will have to buy chicks!

 

But for now, we are still sad about losing our boy.  While we sometimes hated his loud crows in the early hours of summer when we still wanted to sleep, it is too quiet here on the farm without him.  Something about a crowing rooster to make you feel more in touch with the land.  Thompson was also a good roo!  He knew I was boss and would greet me with knowing his place.  A docile rooster is not always easy to come by but takes patience and attention while young.  It also helps to have a teenage who is not afraid to give the rooster a little humiliation every now and then by hanging him upside down.  Some say that is mean, but Anton did this after the one time Thompson purposely scratched him when Anton was grabbing the hens.

 

Good bye my Friend, you will be missed!

Being Prepared

Alright, I feel I need to clarify a few things about being prepared.  I do not consider myself to be a "Prepper" but I do think there have been events in my life that have caused me to at least be a bit prepared.

First, I married an Eagle Scout.  Anyone who knows anything about Boy Scouts knows the motto to "Be Prepared".  Now, this means we have a good supply of camping gear since Anton and Isabella share Karl's love for camping.  I am more of a cabin girl since I am highly allergic to spider bites.  In my house, every spider meets his maker, but outside, they serve a purpose.  So, we have varying sizes and weights of sleeping bags, backpacks, and tents.  Since Karl is an Assistant Scout Master and does not have to eat the Boys' prepared foods, we also have camp cooking supplies.  So if we had to, we could cook at a camp fire.  Frankly I like my coffee maker for speed, but the camping french press does make good coffee.

Second, Karl and I were station in Hawaii on 9/11/2001.  Anton was turning two and still in diapers.  When the news reached the island, not military, everything shut down.  We knew at 4:30 in the morning local time, so I headed to Sam's Club at 7 am to get milk and bread.  By 9 am, all stores and ports were closed.  One thing people who have not been through Hawaii on orders don't understand, EVERYTHING, including diapers, MUST GO THROUGH CUSTOMS!  I was literally on my last diaper when the stores were able to restock diapers among other things.  Yes, we can survive without diapers, but it gave me a lesson in keeping a little extra on hand, say an extra month because it was three weeks till I could buy diapers.

Third, I am a Navy Wife and lived in Hawaii.  This translates to you never know when someone will be in need of hospitality.  This could mean friends or family missing flights and need to bunk for a night all the way to a girlfriend having a really bad day and bringing dinner to them would be a big help.  I have also found comfort in knowing I could "extend" a meal I was making by adding stuff on hand to feed extra guests.  This could be throwing an extra can of beans and some peppers from the freezer into chili to stretch it or making a side of rice.  Having a few extra staples on hand is always good.  It gives busy mom's some comfort in knowing they could adjust if needed for say a play date that has turned from two hours to four as your friend begins to express her concerns about a deployed spouse or the need to get some unexpected errands completed and the children need to be kept busy.  You never know when you can be someone's angel.

Fourth, we have food allergies/intollerances.  This means I have to make a lot of our foods from scratch.  It takes different ingredients, most of which I need to mail order or go to specialty stores.  I think I make a trip to Whole Foods every 3-4 months and to the All-Natural store every 1-2 months to get those odd things to make our gluten free or dairy free foods taste close to normal.  This means I have to plan on making those purchases in that time frame.  At Whole Fooods, I have to get my base coconut milk yogurt in order to make a crock pot full of dairy free vanilla yogurt.  At some point the cultures are too depleted and I have to start with a fresh batch.  But Whole Foods is over an hour away, so it is not easy for me to just pop in when I have the need.

The last point is food prices.  Everyone can see the price of food has gone up due to the economy, drought, etc.  The economy side is not just supply and demand but also the price of oil/gas to transport foods.  The drought has effected corn crops which effects anything made with corn directly like corn meal to indirectly as animal feed.  When you are living on a strict budget as we have been doing since our arrival to this residence due to second home mortgages and now adoption expenses, I have to buy when things are on sale.  I go through a lot of canned tomatoes as I add it to various dishes all the time, so when I see the canned tomatoes are on sale for 1/2 off, I buy a little extra for when I need them later.  I have been able to stretch our food budget by being on the look out for sales on my staples.  Like the time I got a 20 lb bag of rice because it was so much cheaper due to the current sale than buying the 5 or 10 lb bag at the time.  That rice lasted us for quite some time and we eat a lot of it as it is naturally gluten free and not too costly.

You might be asking, "What about water?"  Well, when we know a hurricane is coming, we fill bath tubs for flushing toilets and fill every water bottle we have with drinking water.  I have also learned a trick from my parents who have purchased a side or whole beef for as long as I can remember.  When you have open space in your freezer as you empty it out through the year, you fill milk or OJ jugs 3/4 full of water after you clean them and put it into the freezer.  This has several advantages, you already have ice in your freezer if the power goes out, the freezer stays full and thus works more efficiently, and if needed you have drinking water when it thaws.  When I was young, my parents would toss the frozen jugs into the late summer warmed pool water to try to bring the temperature down a little.  That could be another benefit if you needed it, but we don't have a backyard pool.

What can you take from this?  Make a list of the things you use the most and would be inconvenienced by if you could not purchase them for a few weeks.  (I have known large families who stored powdered milk in Hawaii after 9/11 just for this reason; I don't, as powdered milk tastes funny and my kids won't drink it.)  This could be from something like a blizzard or power outage all the way to my wakening to a terrorist attack.  Watch for the items to go on sale and buy enough for a back up, just remember to use the older ones first.  Hey anyone can have an extra jar of peanut butter on hand especially when some of my kids favorite cookies take 1/2 a jar!  Nothing worse than promising to make your kids cookies and discovering you are out of peanut butter or chocolate chips!  Just make sure the kids don't know where the chocolate chips are or they might disappear!