Its another.......

We had our big ultrasound yesterday and got a chance to see our wonderful, wiggly, healthy baby.  Everything looks perfect.  Baby is 13 oz and measuring exactly on for a due date of March 31st. 

We didn't get any super good pictures this time, but here is one of our precious little GIRL! 

Happy Birthday Abby Jane!

This sweet little girl turned 6 on Tuesday!

She got a couple of days of celebrating since we didn't make it out for her birthday date with mom and dad until last night.  She picked Chuck E. Cheese's of course.

Happy 6th Birthday Abby!

A trip to the zoo

Brett was going to take the girls to the Science Museum today while I brought the little ones in for their check ups at the doctor, but we didn't realize until too late that they were closed on Mondays.  So, since they were already down in the area, they went off to the zoo instead.  Here are a few photos of their adventure for those of you that keep telling me I need to put more pictures of the kids on here. 

Approval!

I called the USCIS again today to see if they had even pulled our paper out of the pile yet.  I about fell over when the man on the other end of the phone said, "Looks like that was just approved today."  I can't believe something finally went through smoothly!  They didn't ask any questions.  They didn't request any more papers.  I am shocked.  Thank you to everyone that was praying with us.  I was told it needs to go on to the supervisor there and then on to the mail room and we should have it in our hands later this week.  Yay!

We are still working on gathering the rest of our papers and getting the last few things together for our court dossier.  Once that is done it can be sent over to Graham's country and we will get a court date.  We are still praying to finish things up in time for a date in December.

Puzzle Fundraiser Progress

Here is the progress we have made on our puzzle so far:

Thank you to everyone that has given us cash or donated through the Chip-In!

Click here to read more about our puzzle fundraiser.

Teaching Thankfulness

A friend shared this and I thought it was a great idea. Our family is going to start this week. I'm curious to see how much we have to bless someone with at the end. Anyone else want to join in?

The Blessing Box

Show your children what they have to be thankful for, not what they have to have.

Day 1
One out of 5 children live in poverty lacking adequate clothing.
Give 2 cents for each pair of socks, tights, or pantyhose each child has.

Day 2
Are you thankful for the gift of electricity?
Give 2 cents for each light bulb in your house.

Day 3
Would you rather live in the dim light of candles?
Give 2 cents for each candle in your house.

Day 4
Most of the world's population lives beyond the reach of medical care.
Give 10 cents for each box of band-aids in your house. An extra dime if they are not flesh-colored.

Day 5
Are you thankful you have a roof and doors to keep out the wind and rain?
Give 10 cents for each exterior door your house has.

Day 6
Are you thankful for all your clothes?
Give 5 cents for each closet in your house.

Day 7
Are you glad you have indoor plumbing?
Give 5 cents for every roll of TP in your house, counting all the stored away rolls.

Day 8
To people in refugee camps, even a thin sliver of soap is precious.
Give 5 cents for each bar your family has--a dime for each liquid dispenser.

Day 9
Think of something nice you can do for a poor family in your community and do it today. Maybe give them some homemade bread or make something special to brighten their day.
If you can't, put a dollar in the box and be exceedingly grateful for all your own blessings.

Day 10
Do you walk to town to get a bucket of water for washing, drinking, bathing or cooking? Or are you blessed with faucets that bring precious water to you?
Give 10 cents for each faucet you have and don't forget the outside ones.

Day 11
Still thinking of water, how did you get clean today?
Give 10 cents if you take baths, 25 cents if you take showers.

Day 12
Most of the people in this world are starving while Americans' biggest concern is being overweight.
Put in a penny for each pound your mother and father think they are overweight.

Day 13
What a blessing to be able to see and have eye doctors to help us.
Give 10 cents for each pair of glasses your family members wear--and a quarter for each pair of sunglasses.

Day 14
Many people are blind physically (as well as spiritually) and have no eye doctors to help them.
Give a quarter for each person in your house that wears contact lenses.

Day 15
Jesus loves the little children.
Give thanks and a dollar for every child in your family--do a secret good deed for each of them today.

Day 16
How would you like to live in your car as some families do?
Give a dime for every vehicle your family owns.

Day 17
What if you lived on the streets like so many in South America do?
Give thanks for your home and give 5 cents for every pillow in your home. Don't forget the decorative ones, also.

Day 18
Epidemics often follow natural disasters.
Give thanks if no one in your home has been too sick this month to work or go to school and then donate 50 cents.

Day 19
The comfort of a clean bed is an undreamed-of luxury for millions of the world's poor people.
Give 5 cents for each bed in your house.

Day 20
Did a cozy blanket cover you last night?
Give a penny for every blanket in your house.

Day 21
Was it cold enough to wear a coat today? Were you thankful for your coat?
Give a penny for every coat, jacket, hoodie or raincoat in your house.

Day 22
In some countries of the world, most people can't read. Are you thankful you can read?
Put in a penny for every book in your home.

Day 23
By now, you've started to receive Christmas cards from many loving friends and family members.
Give a penny for each card and be thankful for God's love. If you haven't received any cards yet, put in a penny for each person who will be getting a card from you.

Day 24
All around the world there are people who have never seen a supermarket. Instead, they scratch out their sustenance with primitive tools.
Give 5 cents for every garden tool in your garage.

Day 25
Many people in the world cook over an open fire. Aren't you glad your parents didn't send you out to chop wood this morning?
Give 5 cents for every burner on your stove and a dime for every oven.

Day 26

Put in 10 cents for each gift under the tree that is for you. Or, give 10 cents for each item on your Christmas list.

Day 27
Jesus was born and died for you!
Put in a dollar for every person in your home that believes in Christ!

Day 28
Unfortunately, this is the time of year in which people suffer loss in house fires.
Give 10 cents for every phone in your house with which you can dial 911 in case of emergency.

Day 29
Many people in the world suffer excruciating pain from lack of dental care. Have you ever been grateful for toothbrushes?
Give 5 cents for every toothbrush in your house.

Day 30
Do you own a pet?
Give a quarter for each pet and say a prayer for all the children in the world who can't afford to feed themselves, let alone a pet.

Day 31
Many children in the world barely get one meal a day. How many meals did you have in the past 24 hours?
Give thanks and 5 cents for each meal--10 cents for each snack.

Day 32
Would you like to have to walk to school, to church, or to the store? Most people in the world walk everywhere they go.
Give 10 cents for each bike, pair of skates, skateboard or anything else that has wheels.

Day 33
"Give us this day our daily bread."
Thank God for feeding you today and give a penny for every slice of bread in your house.

Day 34
Count all the cans/jars in your cupboard or pantry.
Give a penny for each one of them as you thank God for the technology to can foods.

Day 35
Count all the packages of frozen foods and meat in your freezer.
Thank God for refrigeration and give a penny for each you counted.

Day 36
Make a list of all the fruits and vegetables God created that you can name.
Put in a penny for each one on that list.

Day 37
Many children in the world do not have a school to attend and barely learn to read or write.
Give a penny for every pencil in your house.

Day 38
Most people in the world have never touched a computer.
Put in 50 cents for each computer in your home, and an extra 50 cents for a scanner, 50 cents for the printer, and if you spend more than an hour each day online, give an extra dollar.

Day 39
Hold a family meeting.
Donate/give away your money!

We are home.....

I have not had a chance to update the blog in the last week of craziness around here.  After over 20 hours of flying last weekend we arrived home on Monday, picked up the kids, and did some laundry at my parents house (the washing machine decided not to fix itself while we were gone...).  Then, we settled into a week of pink eye, bronchitis, and a tummy bug. 

I still have a ton of pictures to go through and share with everyone.  Hopefully I will get around to that soon!