No news

You know what they say...no news is good news. Not much has happened in the past week. We're just pluggin' along.

Today was the first day of the 2nd semester at school...that means I'm half-way done with this school year. I am so ready for summer break! This has been a very difficult year. I don't know if it's because of the kids or because of all the stress that has been going on in our personal lives. Probably it is a combination of both. My students are great...most of the time. There are moments that I really wonder why I got into Special Ed. It is rewarding, but so draining. I think finding out that we can't have kids has added to the stress this year. I don't think I have cried so much in my life as I have the past few months. All of this will be worth it though...one day, hopefully soon, we will be choosen by a birthmother and we will able to add to our family.

More to come...

So close!

It's true...we are so close to being approved for adoption. We had our home study this past week. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised how easy and quickly it went. Our case worker and the director of adoptions came to our house and asked a few questions about it. They then walked through and that was it. They had us show them where things were like the CO2 and fire detectors, the fire extinguisher, the gun, and the lock box. We had to go buy a few things to the we could pass the home study. We had to purchase a trigger lock for Travis's shotgun and a lock box for the ammo. They also gave suggestions for child-proofing the house at a later date, things like putting a cabinet lock on our cleaning products and a child gate on the stairs. It seems like a lot of things to do, but it will be worth it and I think that our willingness to get it done shows how dedicated we are to the process. Our case worker keeps telling us that we are on top of things and getting everything done fast, and we just tell her that we really want a child and want to be approved as quickly as possible. Our adoption training course is in just a few weeks, so after we attend that our case is presented to the board and then we should be approved. And then...we wait to be selected. We are hoping that we won't have to wait too long, but we are prepared for the long haul. We will wait as long as we have to to start our family. We are so grateful to be surrounded by such great family and friends. They are our strength and have provide more comfort and love then we could have even imagined. We love you all!

Adoption News

Well, things are moving along. Travis had his interview with our case worker this last week. Then we have our home study this next Thursday. All we have left is turning in a few more documents and attending the adoption training classes. The classes are Febuary 20 and 21. Then after that, our application is presented to the board and then we should be approved. I can't believe how quickly things are moving along. Not to much longer and then the waiting game will start. After we have been approved the next step is to wait and hope that our profile is shown to lots of birthparents or try to get our names out there so that people know we are adopting. That is where you come in. If you know anyone that is considering placing their baby for adoption please direct them to our blog. As I mentioned in a previous post, 33% of adoptions facilitated by LDS Family Services are direct adoptions, meaning the adoptive parents find the birth parents or vice versa. Any help spending our names and story would be greatly appreciated.

I want to also take this opportunity to thank our families and friends for all their love and support through this process. It has been very difficult, I am so grateful that we have such wonderful people that surround us, building us up. Travis and I have truly been blessed.

Happy Holidays

Wow! I can't believe how fast the holiday season has come and gone... We had an awesome Christmas and were completely spoiled by our families. I found a Superman cardboard cut-out for Travis and he loved it, and as you can see by the picture, he couldn't stop smiling! Travis's family came to our house Christmas morning. We had breakfast together and then started opening presents. Olivia was a lot of fun to watch. She was so excited about everything. Everyone got great stuff...lots of multiples, but it was still so much fun.

We went to my parents house in the afternoon. It was crazy. We were going to just open one present and then eat and then finish opening presents after lunch, but the kids, Gavin and Bre, were so into it, so we just kept going until there was nothing under the tree. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out and eating. We got out the traditional Christmas puzzle and started to work on it. It's a tough one and I gave up pretty quick.

We were spent New Year's Eve at the traditional party with some of Travis's high school friends. It was a lot of fun. We ate and did a white elephant exchange (Travis got an amazing vase that is in the shape of a bust...I just have to figure out where I'm going to put it), played Wii, and mostly just got caught up on everyone's lives. It's crazy when you only see everyone every couple of months how much changes. The kids are growing up so fast. Even though, Travis has been out of school for almost 10 years, his buddies are as tight as ever. I first met everyone at the New Year's Eve party 3 years ago and they have excepted me with open arms, and I have become close to many of Travis's friends. It has been a crazy holiday season, but I'm sad to see it come to an end.

Our adoption is moving along. I had my individual interview this week. I meet with my case worker and another case worker and we talked about my life, my marriage, and many other things. The next step is for Travis to have his interview and then the home study. Then we just need to get some paper work done and attend the Adoption Training classes, then we should be approved. And then we just wait...hopefully we won't have to wait too long, but we'll wait as long as we need to. More to come!