Yard Sale and Updates!

Last week, we began collecting items for our big yard sale April 26!  Do you have unwanted items?  We'd love them!  I will even bring a box to your door and pick that box up for you when it's ready!  Please let me know if you have items or think you may in the future at elizabeth@norrisfamilyins.com.  Thank you so much for your help!

We just completed the final visit for our home study!  If you've ever done one of these, you know what that means- ahhh :-)  Social workers will encourage you not to stress over cleaning for these visits, but really...someone is coming in your home for the purpose of determining whether your home and family are prepared to welcome another child.  You're gonna clean.  We had a very pleasant experience with this home study, and so far everything is chugging along right on schedule.

What happens next?  Well, we are waiting on two more sets of paperwork to complete the infamous "paper chasing," and then we wait for the report to go through review- hopefully about a month longer for that.  Having the completed home study will allow us to apply to US immigration to adopt a child from China, and begin to pull together our dossier (the set of papers which are sealed and apostilled and made all kinds of official and then sent to China!).  

How long will it be?  The process takes about 12-18 months normally.  We just finished month one, so we have a ways to go.  I am feeling pretty relaxed about everything...maybe it's how early on we are and how quickly it is going right now, or perhaps is just having been through the process coupled with the busy-ness of our family since the last time.  Having been stretched once through adoption, we're also aware- in ways we could only imagine before- how perfectly God weaves families and children together, and His sovereignty above everything else that hits you.  That is a gem to hold in your hands!

Looking ahead, our other larger scale endeavor during the adoption process will (hopefully!) be a fun event this fall, and we are already working to make it special!  If you know a place that might be willing to let us come host a family-friendly event with music, food, a silent auction, and a fun activity or two for children, would you connect us?

We have a handful of smaller ways to help that I am getting so excited about, and I cannot wait to tell you all about them during this year!

I am so happy you are following us on this journey.  I know it's really different from last time we adopted, where everything was only 4 months from completion before we really told everyone, but I have to say it is very fun for me to be sharing these early steps with you!        
  

Jump Start

January was a flood of little and big arrows toward adopting again.  This past year, when we discussed adopting again, we were only hoping to begin paperwork for the process again in May.  Ha!  Don't get me wrong- we have obviously filled out the necessary forms and have been active participants here, but the momentum has not been our own.  Everything we set out to do has gone so quickly and slipped right into place.  I do not know who this little one is yet, but the beginning of this story is making me very curious!

Some of the ways we were called back to adopting I'll hold tight to between the two of us, but I'll tell you about the ladybug!  He lived in our hotel room for the entire trip to Birmingham.  Ladybugs in China adoption, if you don't know, are supposed to precede the completion of another step in the process.  Vivienne would spot him in a heartbeat upon coming "home" for the day.  I know- that's pretty fluffy; after all, ladybugs surely needed to keep warm in 20 degree weather too!  And I never saw a single ladybug during our adoption of Vivienne :-)  But every once in a while something light-hearted comes, and you know why you're getting to experience it.  That silly ladybug was that for me.  I started praying more about adopting again, if we should, when we should.  I thought at the time that Bear was much, much further away from any decisions.  Ha again!

When we got settled back at home again, Bear showed me some savings he had set up for adopting, and asked me what we needed to do to begin the process again.  I was so surprised, and was feeling such a matching pull to go back that it had a halting effect on me!  Normally, where Bear and I agree, we can be fairly comfortable that we're steering straight.  This time the flow towards this hope was feeling so smooth that I hesitated, wanting to know that we were walking down paths God was lighting.  Don't get me wrong- I know God is for adoption, for setting the lonely in families, for the voiceless.  Adoption, grafting, is the means by which we become His children, and the way that He tells us about our salvation.  Someone at some point (I'm sorry I can't remember and credit you!) told me their husband asked her "If Jesus were sitting here with us, is it more likely He would tell you to adopt one of His children or not?"  The answer seems obvious.  But it is really, really important with adoption to get your yes locked in securely. Storms happen- big storms!  The most important thing I can think of to do at the cusp of starting an adoption process is to take enough time with God to get that yes sewn into your heart for the long journey.

Only a couple weeks, or just over, passed before we realized if we DID want to think about adopting again this year, we needed to either register to re-take an expensive course required by our original home study agency, or look into the possibility of changing home study agencies.  A phone call later, we learned we would be able to transition to a new home study agency and the caseworker had a spot come open for that Friday!  During the same week, we noticed that by bumping our timeline forward this way, we would be avoiding increases in some of the costs of the adoption process.  The beginning of February has been much the same.  Everything is just moving speedily and on-course!  I recently told a friend that the way this process is going, I have to just be glad God is sovereign and hang on!  

(Can't help myself- I need to mention here that I'm seriously not for reading tea leaves.  I do not like discussing God's will for us in terms of open doors and closed doors.  We are not called to "easy."  Easy doesn't always serve or point to God.  It doesn't have to be hard either- but I try not to over-interpret things which are very hard or very easy.  That things seem to be falling into place...we are just going to be thankful as long as it lasts!)

Progress in January and early February:

• Accepted by our wonderful placing agency again $2,088.75 down on our total!  Whohoo!
• Began home study $2,000 knocked down!
• Paper chasing for the home study: FBI clearances, state clearances, medical exams/reports, updated training.... $277 down in costs for that so far.

• Elizabeth added work hours!
• We began the Great Garage Sale Project!  Please let us know if you have items for the garage sale, or display tables to lend!  

• January balance: $34,776
• February balance forward: $30,400.25