We are MOVING ....the blog

Well finally I have figured out some of the Mac software! I have migrated our entire blog over to our our own website which you will automatically be re-directed to when you visit:

www.4chineseclovers.com

The advantages are that iWeb offers a lot more standard templates that makes websites and blogging pretty easy and we should not have any problems accessing it in China. We had problems on the last trip trying to access friends blogs that were on blogspot so I think this is best. The iWeb also has more flexibility as far as Photo pages with slideshows and any other page I might want to create.

There is also an RSS button on the new blog that you can select to subscribe to be notified of updates but last time I checked it was the one thing not working.

Come on over and visit us at the new website/blog....made on a Mac...

A Big thumbs up to the USCIS?

OK so I check the mail yesterday and find a small letter from the UCIS. It looks like the 171H and should be the 171H but its NOT. Instead its a letter from the USCIS saying that they need more information because our homestudy is deficient in two areas. Come on orphan officers, this the our fourth adoption and all of them have been through the San Antonio USCIS.

One deficiency noted was that we need more current child abuse clearances and it noted that the HS stated ours was last done in 2005. I pulled up the copy of the homestudy on the computer and wow it states that our new clearances were done in 2007. They must have pulled one of the prior homestudies and reviewed the wrong one.

For the last box marked maybe we should have known better as the specific age and nationality of the child we are being approved for was not mentioned in the last paragraph even though it was pretty clear that we were adopting from China for the 4th time, so hummm maybe he is Chinese? All his medicals were attached along with a photos of him and his special need, but she needed to specifically state that we were approved for a "male chinese child age 0-4 years old open to special needs".

Our SW was swift to respond and hopefully has the notarized addendum ready for us to express back to them. What a waste of time, energy and additional money! So here's a big thumbs up for the USCIS today!

Holly

Please bring my brother home soon....

I think Pierce is really beginning to like the tutus and shoes. If you ask him what his favorite color is he now says pink....I am so glad that in a few more months he will have a brother to play with!

Holly

Dripping Springs...drips...

We spent part of Memorial Day weekend visiting my parents at their new house in Dripping Springs. Its a beautiful home perched on the top of a hill with magnificent views of the hill country and inside it has great cabinetry and precise tiling. Richard really liked the built in gas grill on the back porch except for the east wind which did nothing but blow right back in his face!

Little did we know that our outing at the new home would include a mop, a few towels, a shop vac and a carpet steamer! It seems that the new septic system had a bit of a clog in it. At first we thought that one of the toilets was just backed up but when we sent Quinn to get a brush from the master bathroom she came back to report that it was really wet back there. That was a bit of an understatement as nobody had not realized that the septic system had backed up into the closest place which happened to be the master toilet. There was easily an inch of standing water in the bathroom which had spread into the master bedroom covering 1/3 of the carpet and spilled over into the hall closets and into the entryway.

Luckily my Aunt and Uncle live next door and had a shop vac so Richard could suck up 15 gallons of water. There is no telling how long it might have taken with only a mop and two towels! I guess the silver lining is it was at least clean water (wink) and now I know what Richard wants for Father's Day... a shop vac.

Never a dull moment!

Holly

Love of China Dance

Every few years the Love of China School of Dance puts on a large recital that is partially funded by grants from the Austin Arts commission. This was Riley's first chance to participate in the youngest of Ms. Emily's classes, Class of Faith. They are all age 5-6 and the this was a huge deal for most of them and they took all the many rehearsals like champs. The culmination was the big event on Friday night at the Round Rock Performing Arts center. The event was truly amazing to finally watch end to end. The costumes, dancers, tai chi and yoyos were all amazing I only wish we had some videotape to share (we were not allowed to takes photos or videos). I only have a few backstage photos to share unfortunately which don't do them justice but I was so proud of my daughter for her patience (this was the hardest part for her) , her stage presence and for getting out there and giving it 100%. All the dancers were of course fun to watch but its especially fulfilling to see your own daughter who has practiced for over a year for this moment who finally got her few minutes on stage.

Holly

PA PA PA (Prior Approval from China!)

On Wednesday May 23rd I pulled a phone message off my cellphone from the agency that our Prior Approval (PA) was in from China. What that basically means is that China has reviewed our Letter of Intent and is approving us to adopt Brogan and submit our dossier. Of course the dossier still goes through a review process in China which could prompt further questions but at least we have the green light to submit the dossier!

We did finally get the marriage certificate back from the LA Consulate so the stamps did make it there but the funny thing is that the stamps that were on the express envelope were not even the ones that I had sent them. Maybe they just didn't like the hot pepper stamps they had that they used on the envelope? I don't care as long as we got it back!

We also got the revised, new and improved version of the China homestudy which has been approved by the agency and is ready for the certification process.

We are now officially only waiting on the I-171H from the USCIS. Once we get that back it will be a mad dash to the Secretary of State and the Houston consulate.

I am seeing a glimmer of light at the end......

Holly

The un-Mary Poppins and the flying Happy Meal

Riley had rehearsal this week for her big dance recital. This was a full blown dress rehearsal with lighting etc.. so we were at the performing arts center from the 5:45pm until 10:15 that night! That's a hard evening on a five year old! While we had packed some snacks in a bag we thought that there would be more snack stuff there. She was whizzing through the snacks so quick I felt so guilty for not getting her any dinner before hand. So since we had about an hour between dances I decided to go down the street to McDonalds and get her a nugget happy meal.

I knew rain had been in the forecast and it have been raining off an on for a few days but not a big deal, or so I thought. I got out of the car with umbrella and drink in one hand and happy meal carton in the other (had it been a bag future disaster might have been avoided). What I didn't realize as a rounded the back of the car was that the wind was now blowing about 40 miles per hour and the rain was coming down sideways in sheets. I've never been one that has been scared of a little rain or getting a bit wet so I just started pushing towards my destination of the closest door to the building. Next thing I knew the umbrella was thrust upwards and inverted affording me absolutely no protection from the rain. I was now distracted by still trying to control the wild umbrella, getting hammered by the rain and clutching the drink that the next thing I knew the rain had soaked the happy meal box and tore the handle in two and the wind carried off the not so happy meal leaving in its wake a swirling flurry of french fries, nuggies and plastic toys! I was mortified. Not that I was soaking wet, or that the umbrella was broken, or that my drink by now was crushed but more by the fact that my daughter no longer had any dinner. I checked to see if there was anything to salvage and found the nugget box about ten feet away with two nuggets that were still viable and the plastic bottle of milk. I grabbed what I could and ran as fast as I could still fighting the upside down umbrella to the door.

When I arrived in the lobby several of my mom friends were there with their kids and they all got a good laugh at the incident and the sheer sight of me wet from head to toe still clutching the nuggie box. Janet McCormick was able to snap the photo to remember the occasion. Needless to say Riley's face took the soaked box with two nuggies and a bottle of milk, not even commenting on my wet dog look, and just asked where the french fries were. I told her I would show her later.

When we finally left the arts center a few hours later on the path back to the car we passed by the wet french fry, nuggie carnage in the street and Riley finally realized where the rest of her dinner had gone. Then all she asked me was "well where's the toy?"

Notes to self:
When being stuck in a dress rehearsal for many hours stop at McDonald's first!
Always use two hands on an umbrella when the wind is blowing 40 miles per hour.
Don't wear suede sandals in the rain.

Holly