By the Hair of Our Chinny Chin Chins....

We went into immigration today and had our fingerprints updated for our adoption paperwork. We did it JUST in the nick of time. I knew that our immigration approval (I 171-H) expired 18 months after our approval date (May 2007) so I wasn't paying attention to the expiration date of the fingerprints we had done to get that approval. I assumed they would expire at the same time. (You know what they say about assumptions) : )

At the bottom of the I 171-H approval form it says that our fingerprints expire June 4, 2008. Guess what today is! June 3, 2008. I'm so thankful that my friend Angela pointed out the different expiration dates to me or we would have missed it.

The best news of the day was when they told us that today's fingerprints were free because we got them done before they expired. FREE???? I didn't know there was anything free about adoption.

For those adopting and looking at paperwork expiring before your adoptions will be completed, I thought I'd post what I now know about expirations:

- Your immigration fingerprints expire 15 months from the day you got them done, not the day you get your I-600A approval. The day they expire is on the bottom of your I 171-H form.

- Your I-171-H approval expires 18 months from your approval date, not the date you applied.

- If you need to update your fingerprints it will be free if you do it before they expire. Bring your I 171-H approval form with you and your ID. It was a really easy process here. We didn't even need an appointment. Other offices are bigger and busier and do require an appointment.

- If you need to file an extension for your I 171-H approval, you can do that no earlier than 90 days before it expires and no later than the expiration date. If you file for that extension within that window, it will be free also. You get one free extension and will extend your approval for another 18 months. To apply for the extension, you will need an updated homestudy, your marriage license and your birth certificates and your ID.

I hope this all helps someone. : )

Love,

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The Princess Hosts Morning Tea

Menu:

Tea (Milk) and Crumpets (Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Raisins)


Nobody told her she couldn't host tea in her jammies. : )


Princesses from a neighboring castle

All the sweeter when they wash their own dishes : )

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Marriage

The Seek The Lord Sunday topic this week is:

Tell us about how following Christ has had an impact on your marriage.

To be honest, I can't imagine being married without both of us being Christians. It's not because I want my husband and I to belong to some exclusive club. It isn't because I want us to be "religious" and raise our kids that way. It isn't about tradition or celebrating the same holidays.

As the oldest kid, I was old enough to watch my parents really struggle with marriage. I have memories of them fighting, of sitting in Mom's lap while she cried, and they'll be the first to tell you they wouldn't have made it without Jesus.

When Mom and Dad made that leap of giving their lives to Jesus, I witnessed a change in them that was nothing short of miraculous. Those changes strengthened my faith more than anything else in my past. It wasn't just about behavior or following a bunch of religious rules. They still had their ups and downs. Their personalities stayed the same. They still had times of arguing and not "liking' each other all that much, but they were different. The hardness went away. There was joy and peace in them I could see with my little girl eyes, but still have a hard time putting into words. They had hope. They were better parents despite mistakes. And when it came to marriage, there was an ability to love one another that wasn't there before.

Watching all of that cemented in me the importance of finding someone who shared Jesus with me. From as early as fifth grade, I have prayer journal entries praying for my future husband. I prayed we would have Jesus in common. I prayed he would be a godly father, my best friend, and would take good care of us. It was really fun to read some of those prayer journal entries at my bridal shower and hear my friends say, "That is SO Pat!"

I was such a romantic and so in love with the idea of being in love, if it had worked, I would have settled for less than I asked God to give me. I'm so thankful he made me wait for Pat. Have you ever heard Garth Brook's song "Unanswered Prayers"? That is one of my life's theme songs!

Our marriage is sweet and I'm grateful for it. On June 19th we will celebrate 9 years of marriage, so this topic was timely! : )

I still annoy Pat often. : ) We have typical marriage stuff. But because we have Jesus, this is what we have:

- Commitment that will last a lifetime
- A desire to serve each other
- Hope
- Help with parenting: wisdom that doesn't come from us, and the peace of knowing Jesus will cover where we fail
- Common values
- We can go to the Bible together when we need answers
- The tragedy of losing our babies brought us closer together instead of driving us apart. We both know our relationship with David, Micah, James, and Sarah is just interrupted, not gone.
- We can pray together whenever we need direction
- We have God's help to forgive when one of us screws up, and we have the knowledge of knowing how much God has forgiven us, so it's easy to forgive each other
- We get to celebrate God's goodness to us because we know where the blessings come from
- We are able to love like 1 Corinthians 13 tells us to love, not because we have the ability to do it out of our own strength, but because the God who is love lives in us and we get His help. He teaches us how love is more than just a feeling.
- We can see that the small stuff is really small because of having an eternal perspective

The list could go on and on....not a list of how good or perfect we are, we aren't! Just the list of blessings. A rope made of three cords is unbreakable. I'm so thankful for the third member of our marriage! : )

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Pregnancy Q and A......

(Thanks Aunt Karen!) : )

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q : I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q : What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q : My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q : Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word 'alimony' means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q : Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q : Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college. '

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Backyard Visitors

Look who visited our backyard yesterday afternoon!

The first words out of my mouth were, "Girls, go tell Daiquiri to get up here with her camera!" Daiquiri got some great shots of our little Duck Family. I'm hoping she'll share some pictures with me when she gets back from her trip.

Our kids fed the ducks bread crumbs and enjoyed watching Mama Duck march her little family around and around the yard.

Mama and her babies stayed for awhile, so I sent my girls out to sketch a nature drawing of what they saw. (I know, I know.....the teacher in me dies hard) : )

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Within One Week I Will....

Ready to dig in again? : )

It's time for you to tell us all what goal you'd like to accomplish this week. Not sure what you want to work on this week? Click here for ideas.

It was hard for me to choose....I have so many things I 'd like to see done around the house. I also have writing goals and exercise goals, too. I wasn't sure which one I wanted to be my focus for the week.

I was hesitant to pick another house project because I want you all to feel good about choosing any goal for the week, not just house cleaning, but I knew that with the baby coming, getting the house in order is what will make me feel the best.

Here's a video explaining my Within One Week goal:



What about you? What would you like to get done Within One Week?

Here's How to Play Along:
Feel free to copy and paste the W.O.W. button at the top of this page for your own blog post.

1. Write a blog post describing your goal for the week. Feel free to copy and paste the W.O.W. button at the top of this page for your own blog post.

2. See the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post? Type your name and project/goal on the line that says, "Your name:________" (e.g. Becky (Baby's Room)

3. Where it says "Your URL:___________" you will type in the address to your blog post about this W.O.W. Carnival.

(If you are using Blogger you can link directly to your post by clicking on the title of your post after you publish. This will open a page that only has that post on it. Copy the address that shows up at the top of your screen and paste it into Mr. Linky. It's really easy and this way, people will go directly to your post and not have to search your blog for it. )

4. After you have put your name in Mr. Linky, visit the other players and cheer them on throughout the week.

5. Next week, come back here and look for the W.O.W. Update post and tell us how you did.

6. I think we need a Starbucks prize again this week. I'll choose a random participant next week and reward them with a $5 Starbucks card so they can get a mocha on me to celebrate all of their hard work.

7. You do not need to be a blogger to play along. Just tell us about your goal in the comments section. We'll cheer you on from here. : )

You'll feel so good next week when you reach your goal! : )

Love,

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Get Ready for W.O.W.

It's time for another W.O.W. Carnival! What would you love to see done within one week? (Read past W.O.W. posts here)

For the last W.O.W. carnival, we focused on a room in your house that is driving you bonkers. This time I want this to be about any goal that is important to you but is easy to procrastinate because it isn't a priority (or its easy to hide) : ) It could be a house organizing project, but it isn't limited to that. And your goal may just be to start the project this week, not necessarily redo a whole room. Baby steps are OK.

Is there an item on your "To Do" list that never gets crossed off? Blog about it and link back here so we can all cheer you on this week. I was amazed how much fun cleaning our bedroom was knowing that you all were cheering me on and would want to see after pictures. : )

I'll post the official Mr. Linky tonight or tomorrow morning, but I wanted to get your brainstorming juices flowing first. Keep it simple! I don't want any burned out W.O.W. players! : )

Here's some ideas to get your own ideas flowing:

• When you open this closet you need protective head gear because so much falls out.....
• You can't give friends a ride because you are too embarrassed of your messy car.
• When was the last time you worked on your baby's scrapbook? (It's OK that he's 13 now)
• This area of your house is "off limits"
• How much easier would dinner time be if you had a menu plan made for the week?
• Any fitness goals?
• Any spiritual goals?
• Do you have a home business and need the push to work on a business project?
• Anything you've been hoping to do with your kids but never get around to doing?
• A craft you've been dying to try....

The options are endless. When you've decided your goals, blog about it, come back here and add your name to the Mr. Linky I will have up tonight or tomorrow morning and see what you are able to accomplish Within One Week.

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