A Heart in Two Worlds: My Family's One Day in My Town

Adoption Timeline

Sept. 13, 2010: ADOPTION DAY!!
May 2010: Find out we have a Haitian adoption decree from December 2009.
Jan. 24, 2010: Islande and Katiana join us in the U.S.!
Jan. 12, 2010: 7.0 Quake hits Haiti
Dec. 6, 2009: Happy 5th Birthday, Katiana!
Nov. 12, 2009: Hear we're in Civil Court awaiting the judge's approval.
Oct. 24-28, 2009: Jodie makes sixth trip (Mark makes second) to Haiti to sign a blank notebook to "prove" we want our girls. We also find out on the trip that we exited Parquet in June or July 2009, but have sat in limbo since then.
Sept. 26, 2009: Fingerprints done for third time; also find out we have to go to Haiti to "prove" we want our girls.
June 8, 2009: News our file has been submitted to Parquet (I don't know what date we went in).
May 16, 2009: Receive word that we have IBESR approval! Now it's off to Parquet.
April 4, 2009: Jodie hears from several friends that she and Mark are listed in the March 2, 2009, edition of Le Moniteur as having received dispensation. Still awaiting to hear about IBESR.
March13-18, 2009: Jodie makes fifth trip to Haiti. Files are STILL in dispensation (again).
March 5, 2009: Happy 9th Birthday, Islande!
January 20, 2009: Second homestudy update, preparing for I-171H update (grrrrrr).
January 16, 2009: Request 2nd extension of I-72/I-600 since signing in July.
December 6, 2008: Happy 4th Birthday, Katiana!
July 19-24, 2008: Fourth trip to Haiti to sign I-600
July 1, 2008: Update fingerprints and take certificates to State Department for authentication; send docs with friends to Haiti July 8.
June 28: We actually do need to have "Certificate of Good Communal Living," which must be notarized, authenticated, translated and legalized before sending to Haiti -- NOW!
June 26, 2008: Hear from social worker that "Certificate of Good Communal Living" not required; but also that I have to travel to Haiti to sign I-600
June 16, 2008: IBESR wanting another "Certificate of Good Communal Living" from us, even though we did one in January
May 5, 2008: We hear we're out of dispensation
March 5, 2008: Happy 8th birthday, Islande!
February 2008: Third trip to Haiti
February 2008: Find out we're in dispensation (renewed step within IBESR)
February 2008: Home study expiring. Have to pay to update.
January 2008: Receive word that IBESR requests a letter stating how long Mark and I have known each other
December 6, 2007: Happy 3rd Birthday, Katiana!
October 7, 2007: We hear we're in IBESR. Files 15810 and 15811
August 24, 2007: We have First Legalization
August 2007: Dossier complete in time for Jodie to hand-deliver dossier to Haiti on mission trip
June 2007: We make our first trip to Haiti. God chooses for us Islande and Katiana
April 2007: Russia shuts down U.S. adoptions until further notice
April 2007: God switches our gears from Russia to Haiti.
April 2007: Differences between adoption and home study agencies force us to choose one. We stay with home study agency.
March 2007: Receive overwhelming instructions for dossier
February 2007: Finish home study
December 2006: Begin home study
November 2006: Sent application for Russian adoption

Thursday, August 06, 2009

My Family's One Day in My Town

My family spent only one day in my area, so we headed up the mountain to Woodland Park to the Dinosaur Resource Center.

Nieces Sarah, Sam and Rachel with Charis and a toothy friend.

Sarah, Sam, Charis and Rachel with the megaladon jaw.

After the Dinosaur Resource Center, we headed back down the mountain to Garden of the Gods in Manitou Springs.

Charis, Samantha, Sarah and Rachel at the Balanced Rock Cafe at Garden of the Gods.

We bought buckets of rough for the girls to "mine" at the Balanced Rock Cafe at Garden of the Gods.

Rebecca (my sister) and Samantha going through her rough.

Sarah finds an arrowhead.

Papa (my dad) helping Charis mine her rough.

Rachel mining her rough.

Uncle Rick helping Charis with her treasures.

Sarah, Sam, Rachel and Charis at Balanced Rock at Garden of the Gods.

Sam turned 13 a couple weeks ago, so I whipped up a quick cake after our sightseeing. The frosting is completely white, because Rachel is allergic to food coloring. But I did decorate white-on-white with some chocolate candy melt decorations.