Thursday, August 28, 2008

Night at the Beach Bums...



We have a semi-pro (?) baseball team here in our relatively small town called the Beach Bums. We finally went to our first game Tuesday night. The game was relatively uneventful, but we had a ball hanging out and chatting with friends! Pics of Jake with his friend and me and Sara.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Couple of new pics...



Since the kids are turning 7 and 4 soon, we got updated pictures. :)

Big day for Jake...




Today Jake got an awesome opportunity. Todd's dad (Jake's grandpa) has had part ownership of a 4-seater Cessna plane for many, many years. It's his hobby to fly, usually just on Saturdays. Today, Jake got the opportunity to fly for the first time with grandpa!

Above, is Jake with Grandpa in front of the plane, Jake getting ready for take off, and a picture of one of the beautiful islands in Grand Traverse Bay. Jake had a ball, and I'm so glad he got to go!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Colombian Connections...






We're very fortunate that just 3 hours south of here is an annual gathering of a group of adoptive families with children from Colombia. This is the fourth time we've attended and much to our delight the group grows larger and larger each year. This year was fun as we got to share the news of our upcoming adoption with the rest of the crowd.

Above are pictures of the Colombian flag, the whole group of Colombian kids, Jake trying his hand at golf, Sara trying hers at softball, and the ride home...Jake crashed. :)

Fun with friends...



Last week we got the chance to go to the beach with my friend Jen and her two boys, Carson and Caleb. My kids had a blast with them and hopefully we'll get to go again soon! :)

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Our agency closed...

Well, this week started out horrible. Monday we found out that our agency, Commonwealth (we used them for Jake & Sara's adoptions too) is closing. Bankrupt. So, I panicked. At first, there was no information coming out and we assumed that this meant we were through with our Taiwan adoption. I know from reading over yahoo groups that all over Taiwan agencies are pretty full and wait times with them are over 2 years. We didn't want to wait two years.

Well, luckily, information starting trickling out and it kept getting better and better. Then yesterday we got word from Commonwealth. Our case (and all Taiwan families) is being turned over to Gladney, a solid and reputable agency. And, no other fees will be charged, and our wait should not be majorly effected. The international director from Gladney and the program director from Commonwealth are going to Taiwan later this month to get approval and finalization. So, now we wait for that to go through. There's no reason it shouldn't, but I'd appreciate any thoughts or a prayers that the transition is seamless.

Thanks!