Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Ethiopia
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/session7media/the-ethiopia-projects-four-films-that-will-change
Please watch. This is where we will be going.
Please watch. This is where we will be going.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Not Much New...
There is not much new... Just realizing I haven't posted in a while!
Tomorrow, it will be 2 months since our dossier was accepted and we officially started our LONG waiting process. A month or so, I got an email from a friend we met in our adoption classes. They are adopting from Ethiopia too, same agencies, same ages requested - only difference is that they are 4 months further along on the wait-list then we are. She emailed our agency asking for an update on how long the wait 'might' be for them yet... The response was that they are now estimating wait times from dossier submission to a referral (picture) to be 9-12 months - and on the longer side of that estimate for those requesting a child under the age of 1. Yikes!
And then today we got an email from our agency that there is one orphanage in Ethiopia that they are no longer able to be affiliated with. They had no clue, yet, how this would impact wait times, but I'm certainly guessing it won't speed things up at all.
Well, the past two months haven't been HORRIBLE. But they also haven't been fun (when it comes to the waiting aspect). I would imagine that, as time passes, they will become even LESS fun.
I'm really thankful for my two little ones to keep me busy as we are waiting. I remember trying and trying to get pregnant with Drew (it took a little over a year-and-a-half). It was really difficult because I wanted, more than ANYTHING to be a mommy. Well, it finally happened. Now, I have my two little ones and they keep me so busy, sometimes I can't imagine how I'll keep up with three - or some day - four?! Anyway, I'm grateful to have these two to cherish while I wait.
\
See what I mean?...
Tomorrow, it will be 2 months since our dossier was accepted and we officially started our LONG waiting process. A month or so, I got an email from a friend we met in our adoption classes. They are adopting from Ethiopia too, same agencies, same ages requested - only difference is that they are 4 months further along on the wait-list then we are. She emailed our agency asking for an update on how long the wait 'might' be for them yet... The response was that they are now estimating wait times from dossier submission to a referral (picture) to be 9-12 months - and on the longer side of that estimate for those requesting a child under the age of 1. Yikes!
And then today we got an email from our agency that there is one orphanage in Ethiopia that they are no longer able to be affiliated with. They had no clue, yet, how this would impact wait times, but I'm certainly guessing it won't speed things up at all.
Well, the past two months haven't been HORRIBLE. But they also haven't been fun (when it comes to the waiting aspect). I would imagine that, as time passes, they will become even LESS fun.
I'm really thankful for my two little ones to keep me busy as we are waiting. I remember trying and trying to get pregnant with Drew (it took a little over a year-and-a-half). It was really difficult because I wanted, more than ANYTHING to be a mommy. Well, it finally happened. Now, I have my two little ones and they keep me so busy, sometimes I can't imagine how I'll keep up with three - or some day - four?! Anyway, I'm grateful to have these two to cherish while I wait.
\
See what I mean?...
Also, please don't forget our Cousins Fundraiser this Thursday the 7th from 4-9pm! We are hoping many of you can make it out for some delicious food benefiting a good cause (if you consider our adoption a good cause. :) ). Should be fun and TASTY! :)
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Cousins Fundraiser! July 7th 4-9pm
You WILL need a flyer - so contact me if you don't have one yet and would like one!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Hello Family & Friends,
Just writing to give you an update on our adoption. . .
Well, on July 6th, we have officially been on the waitlist for 2 months. The first month of waiting was big with the grant and news of the slow down. June has been relatively uneventful. The latest updates from Holt (our international agency) say that the wait time from dossier approval (May 6th, for us) to referral (picture of child) is now 9-12 months of waiting. That would put us at getting a referral around February or May, 2012. That feels like a LONG ways away. Especially toward the end, that is going to get LONG. We appreciate all of your support during this process. We feel so loved and encouraged by so many of you, and that helps a lot!
Here is a break down of what is going on and fundraisers.
| Step | Cost | Date Paid | Due Date |
| Application Fee – LSS | $420.00 | 10/25/10 | |
| Application Fee – Holt | $300.00 | 10/27/10 | |
| Home Study Fee – LSS | $2,780.00 | 1/14/11 | |
| USCIS | $890.00 | 2/2/11 | |
| Program Fee – LSS | $1000.00 | 5/20/11 | |
| Remainder of Program Fee – LSS | $750.00 | | Upon Referral |
| Dossier Fee – Holt | $3,000.00 | 5/6/11 | |
| Program Fee – Holt | $9,890.00 | | Upon Referral |
| Post Placement Fee – LSS | $1,300.00 | | Upon Referral |
| Trip 1 to Ethiopia | $8,000.00 (estimated) | | Upon Scheduled Travel Date |
| Trip 2 to Ethiopia | $8,000.00 (estimated) | | Upon Scheduled Travel Date |
FUNDRAISERS
COUSINS SUBS! July 7th 4-9pm. We will earn 20% of sales with flyers. If 50+ flyers are turned in, we will earn 20% of ALL sales (not just those with flyers) from 4-9pm. I will attach a flyer to this email. We can not pass them out at the door the day of (to people who didn’t come specifically for the fundraiser), but feel free to print them and pass them out to friends before the fundraiser! We hope to see many of you there! And a big thank you to Cousins in Onalaska for setting this up for us!!!
Just Love Coffee: $5.00 to us for each bag of coffee sold www.justlovecoffee.com/TheThomas. This fundraiser is on-going until we travel to Ethiopia to bring our child home.
Lifesong for Orphans: Make a tax deductable donation. We have been told that they will continue to accept donations in our name up until we travel to bring home our child. Make checks payable to ‘Lifesong for Orphans’. In memo section: ‘THOMAS #1855 ADOPTION’. Send to Lifesong for Orphans PO Box 40 202 N Ford Street Gridley, IL 61744.
PRAYER
- Finances to continue to come through. Successful fundraisers. Grant money awarded.
- Jaden working on recording his first album (all proceeds earned to go toward the adoption). He is working hard and hoping for a CD release date of late August!
- Our child (requesting 1 child age 0-12 months, either gender). He/she will go through mourning at the loss of his/her biological parent(s). We pray that this is a smooth transition and that he/she will stay safe and healthy in the orphanage until we are able to bring him/her home!!
- Our child’s birth parent(s) who will suffer a HUGE loss in relinquishing their child. That they may know God’s love for them and find some comfort that we are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to meet our child and bring him/her home!
Thank you all so much! We are very blessed by each of you!
The Thomas Family
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Tell me he is not the best...
Nope - I know you can't... Because he is. :)
Taking care of our babies.
Putting the kids to bed.
Having fun together.
Taking walks.
Going trick-or-treating.
Spending time with the kids.
Every season.
He IS so great.
I love this man.
What did I tell you? When it come to being a daddy -- this one is the BEST.
(Husband too - but we'll save that for our anniversary). :)
Monday, June 13, 2011
Dossier is IN Ethiopia!
Well, our dossier arrived in Ethiopia today! It doesn't mean much - we were placed on the waiting list when it arrived at our agency, but it DOES mark another step (a small one, but still...). I'm thinking I packed a bigger part of my heart away with it, because it feels like a large chunk is missing and can be found in Ethiopia...
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