USCIS Fingerprinting...second time's a charm?

Hi everyone,
Today Andy and got to visit the US Citizen and Immigration services office again. Since the wait times are so long for China now, some of the paperwork expires and needs to be re done. Who knows how many times we will get to visit the USCIS office to redo our fingerprints! The first time we went, it was SO busy. There were lines and lines of people. It was a huge room with people everywhere. We waited for hours for our number to be called.
When this fingerprint invitation came in the mail, we were expecting more of the same. Past behavior is a good indicator of future behavior, right? So this time we came prepared. I had 2 books and a magazine, and I was mentally ready to enjoy the wait- no matter how long and tedious. I would have time to reflect on our far off china adoption and read a little. It was Saturday, our day off and I was determined to enjoy it.
We were pleasantly surprised! When we drove in the parking lot, we gasped. There were only 7 cars parked. Only a few people waiting outside to get in. When we made it past security, only 3 people in line ahead of us. The place was EMPTY. I couldn't believe it. We completely LUCKED out. We filled out our paperwork, waited for our number to be called (which was the NEXT number in line) and a nice gentleman and lady helped us get processed. We left in all of ten minutes max, even before 11 which was our actually appointment time. We were over the moon! We had so much unexpected time on our hands we popped over to visit our cute niece, Annie and see her walk.

CA summer trip 2009

We just got home from visiting my family in CA. We had so much fun and it always goes so quickly. Darby has grown so much and is still such a sweetie. I held her as much as I could and tried to memorize her sweet voice as she said "whee" all the time when she pointed her chubbalicious finger at everything she saw. My adorable nephew and Godson, Miles, was there staying with my Mom- Grandma camp! He is a bundle of energy and has such a loving heart. I enjoyed spending so much quality time with him. We played together, read together, did everything together. I enjoyed every minute.
There was time for plenty of beach time and walks, a beach bike ride to Hermosa, a visit to see our college buddy, Justin (and his awesome wife and kids!), trips to starbucks (Miles LOVED the kids hot chocolate, so it quickly became a daily ritual), a visit to the observatory, Legoland, and a weekend of great camping at Santee Lakes.
While we were camping, Miles learned to swim on his own without his swim vest. It was awesome to be there to witness him jumping in fearlessly and swimming to me while plugging his nose! Here are some videos and photos. All in all it was an awesome time. I treasure time with my family so much -probably more than anything. Living far away is a huge cross to bear but it always makes our time together so precious. Someone once told me that your family deserves your special privileged love, and I couldn't agree more. I always think of that when I get to be with them. I love you guys and can't wait to come back!

Summer is here

I am so happy to be on summer vacation. I love the more relaxed schedule, and having time to do "normal" things that when working, I have to creatively cram into my daily routine or put off until much later. Yesterday I leisurely got my haircut, (I hadn't been since March! yikes!)cleaned up the house, and tackled the laundry mountain that I had been putting off for so long. After breakfast today, I stopped by to see a friend and went to the outdoor mall by our house. I found two adorable skirts on sale for 9 bucks each. Tonight we are going to watch Kerri's daughter sing in a band. It is so great to have time to spend with friends and not to have to rush around so much. I hope you are all enjoying the summer days as much as I am.
Blessings, Em

Summer days ahead and renewals

Only a week or so left of school...
Of course I love summer. More time for friends, family, projects and recreation. Oh yeah, did I mention, more time for more paperwork?
Yes, unfortunately, with the extended wait times in China, our paperwork that took us a good 9 months last year to complete; has already expired. So lucky us, we get to do more of it, and we most likely will have to renew several times in the future before we are matched.
I am trying to be positive about it, but honestly, I didn't enjoy the paperwork the first time. Actually I really hated all of it, and was so relieved when it was over. I am not a paperwork type of girl. At all. I know as a parent, I will have other good qualities. Playing with the kids, cuddles on the couch, making sure we have something fun going on...
Thank goodness I have a husband who is so incredibly great with all those details. If it was up to me, I would probably lose the files somewhere in my house, forget to mail them or leave something really important out. But not Andy. He is incredible. Tells me where to sign, what to help him with, and makes sure we get it all done on schedule. I love it and really don't worry for a second because I know he has it all under control for us and will let me know how I can help.
Oh, and did I mention that he can cook? really well? Last night, Andy made the most amazing dinner on the grill. Shrimp shishkabobs with yummo grilled veggies. Yup, I married the right man.
Enjoy the sunset everyone, it is beautiful!

Log in dates, landmarks and a pretty cherry blossom tree

One year ago today, our file was logged into the Chinese adoption affairs office. It is a big landmark for adoptive families. What's your Log in? is a common question asked among waiting families. It is a benchmark of "who is next in line". How many log ins did they get through this month? is something I am always asking my husband; who is great at keeping up with all the facts and figures concerning the china adoption front.

Our LID is April 29, 2008. Last year, we read the notification email from our agency on May 1st- St. Joseph's feast day. We were over the moon that day. We got what we had been waiting for, pushing through all that paperwork for; and I felt that the timing of it was significant, since Saint Joseph is the patron saint of fathers with May 1st being the first day of May- Mary, the mother of God's month. We had a May crowning that morning at the school where I work . Every child had brought a flower to the statue of Mary to honor the mother of heaven, the mother of us all. In our Catholic faith, we believe that we are all the adopted sons and daughters of God; and Mary is our mother. Mothers, Fathers, the Holy Family, and our log in date. It was all heaven sent to me.

This year, in honor of our special date, we planted a tree in our garden. We chose a pretty pink cherry blossom tree. I lovingly call my daughter to be "my little cherry blossom" in my heart. We plan to watch it grow while we wait for our family to blossom, bud and bear fruit. Here are some photos from the garden. Many blessings, Em

Happy Easter

For Easter, Andy and I met Marta, Ed, little Anne and Christine at a Park. Here are some cute shots. It was chilly so we had to leave a little sooner than we hoped to warm up with some coffee at Christine's apartment. It was nice to spend some time together and of course to hug that cute sweetie.

My Mom and Dad sent me flowers...so thoughtful of them to think of me. They made my Easter table cheerful and bright. There was even a little bunny nestled among the flowers.

I love you!

Darby hanging out in the playroom and the nursery