We had a crazy dance party at our house last night. Here's a sneak peak!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
9 Months
On the 21st Arsin turned 9 months old! We just cannot stand the wait any longer! About a week ago we received an email from our coordinator about the goings on of adoption in Kyrgyzstan. Here what she had to say: We believe that by mid-January the MOE will begin issuing letters, presumably providing letters for all families with all agencies who have been waiting to bring their children home. Then they will be reviewing dossiers and providing letters for families who do not yet have referrals. They have lists from all the agencies as to who is who.
There has been some confusion with the Kyrgyzstan gov't as far as who should sign letters...since the President has gotten involved, we hope that this will be resolved! They have a few holidays to celebrate which should bring them back to work about January 12th. We will be sending Ambassador Zamira a thank you letter for all of her help in this matter!
Christmas...
Christmas was kind of crazy for us. We typically travel to Kenosha to visit with my family. Ryan was offered a position in La Crosse - his home town - about a week before Christmas. We had the intent to say yes to that job and figured we would be moving soon. Ryan decided he needed to stay and work to get everything finalized before 2009 and the new Chief Professional Officer for this Boys & Girls Clubs. Needless to say I traveled to Kenosha by myself in very icky weather! Ryan and I decided to turn down the job from La Crosse so we spent Christmas apart for no reason at all. I ended up bringing back my two nieces and my brothers from Kenosha to spend the week with us. We have a house full of kids and it is CRAZY! In about a half hour we are going to see The Tale of Despereaux at the movie theatre!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas Arsin!
Merry Christmas, little boy! We love you so much and wish we could be with you for your first Christmas. Hang in their buddy, we'll be over to get you real soon.
Love,
Daddy
Love,
Daddy
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Let It Snow...(long, overdue post)
It is a nice snowy day here in Northwestern, WI. Last night I shoveled off the desk so that the dogs could get to the back yard and to my suprise this morning it is completely covered again. Nice timing for Ryan to be gone for the weekend and I have to do all of the shoveling for myself :)
Thursday was Ryan's birthday and we were in La Crosse for the day. We ate at the Freight House and it was sooo good! Our brother-in-law knew our waiter, so we got extra big portions of everything. This place is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world. My husband is just awesome enough to eat there when it's his birthday. He is continuing his birthday celebration this weekend at the cabin, hunting. He called last night about 11:00 p.m. and was just getting back from taking the four wheeler for a ride...and let me tell you, it is not warm out there! He's crazy!
I broke down in tears (imagine that!) over the lack of movement in this adoption. I was talking to Ryan on the phone and he just kept saying that I have to have faith. I gotta tell you though, I'm pretty positive most of the time about it...but I just feel like it's so hard to believe it's all going to work out when nothing has been moving. I realize that some people have recently returned home with their babies, and that should be good enough news. The problem is NOTHING has been happening and it is so frustrating. Any "updates" we get from our agency is so generic and doesn't say anything. We got another "update" on Thursday that just said that the head position in the Ministry of Education must be filled before they will give the final signatures to the dossiers. The problem is this position isn't getting filled...or certainly taking an incredibly LONG time to fill! We also got an update from the JCICS:
December 3, 2008 - Joint Council has confirmed that the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan has been requesting further information on the current state of intercountry adoptions from the Kyrgyz government. At this time, it is our understanding that the Kyrgyz Parliament has concerns regarding the governmental control of Adoption Service Providers in the republic.
In meetings with Kyrgyz officials, the US Embassy stressed that the current actions are causing fiscal and emotional distress to potential adoptive parents. Kyrgyz officials have been unwilling to comment as to the processing of cases already in progress. However, a governmental working group will be forming in the coming weeks. We do not expect any official statement to come from this working group before the end of 2008.
We're not exactly sure what this means for us. Looks like we won't hear anything though until 2009...well that's a shocker!
There is no question whether or not we belong to this little boy. We are a family, just currently in a long distance relationship. My heartbreak is not knowing when it will happen so that I can bring him home! We will be going to Mexico on January 9th for Heather's (Ryan's sister) wedding. We thought that without question Arsin would be with us for this trip. We even bought him little swim trunks, and hats to wear. Now I'm thinking that this won't happen, and it makes me VERY SAD! Not that it is exactly ideal to take a baby to Mexico, but we wouldn't have had a choice. Heather is getting married and we will be there for the wedding. Maybe by some miracle we will have him home and he can come with us!
Thursday was Ryan's birthday and we were in La Crosse for the day. We ate at the Freight House and it was sooo good! Our brother-in-law knew our waiter, so we got extra big portions of everything. This place is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world. My husband is just awesome enough to eat there when it's his birthday. He is continuing his birthday celebration this weekend at the cabin, hunting. He called last night about 11:00 p.m. and was just getting back from taking the four wheeler for a ride...and let me tell you, it is not warm out there! He's crazy!
I broke down in tears (imagine that!) over the lack of movement in this adoption. I was talking to Ryan on the phone and he just kept saying that I have to have faith. I gotta tell you though, I'm pretty positive most of the time about it...but I just feel like it's so hard to believe it's all going to work out when nothing has been moving. I realize that some people have recently returned home with their babies, and that should be good enough news. The problem is NOTHING has been happening and it is so frustrating. Any "updates" we get from our agency is so generic and doesn't say anything. We got another "update" on Thursday that just said that the head position in the Ministry of Education must be filled before they will give the final signatures to the dossiers. The problem is this position isn't getting filled...or certainly taking an incredibly LONG time to fill! We also got an update from the JCICS:
December 3, 2008 - Joint Council has confirmed that the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan has been requesting further information on the current state of intercountry adoptions from the Kyrgyz government. At this time, it is our understanding that the Kyrgyz Parliament has concerns regarding the governmental control of Adoption Service Providers in the republic.
In meetings with Kyrgyz officials, the US Embassy stressed that the current actions are causing fiscal and emotional distress to potential adoptive parents. Kyrgyz officials have been unwilling to comment as to the processing of cases already in progress. However, a governmental working group will be forming in the coming weeks. We do not expect any official statement to come from this working group before the end of 2008.
We're not exactly sure what this means for us. Looks like we won't hear anything though until 2009...well that's a shocker!
There is no question whether or not we belong to this little boy. We are a family, just currently in a long distance relationship. My heartbreak is not knowing when it will happen so that I can bring him home! We will be going to Mexico on January 9th for Heather's (Ryan's sister) wedding. We thought that without question Arsin would be with us for this trip. We even bought him little swim trunks, and hats to wear. Now I'm thinking that this won't happen, and it makes me VERY SAD! Not that it is exactly ideal to take a baby to Mexico, but we wouldn't have had a choice. Heather is getting married and we will be there for the wedding. Maybe by some miracle we will have him home and he can come with us!
99 Meme
I was reading April's blog and I thought this would be interesting to try:
The rules are simple: bold the things you've done. Explanations are optional. Fun is guaranteed.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (not yet!)
5. Watched a meteor shower (don't think so?)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (every year!)
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (not a huge one, but I climbed one...actually we got engaged on Electric Peak in St. George, UT)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo(in middle school!)
11. Bungee jumped (twice in Wisc. Dells)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I'm not very creative!)
15. Adopted a child (duh, currently in process)
16. Had food poisoning (unfortunately)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight(who hasn't?)
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon(just this October in fact)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (slow pitch softball!)
32. Been on a cruise (Caribbean tour)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (never, knock on wood!)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (self defense when I was in middle school)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason (I do have a lovely husband)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (very scary!)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (most recently for the marathon I ran)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one (not anyone really close thankfully)
94. Had a baby (vaginally? no)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (I was stung when I was 5 and it turns out I am very deathly allergic! I haven't been stung since...knock on wood!)
Well it turns out that I am not a very cultured person! I need to get my butt out into the world a bit more!!
How about you guys?
The rules are simple: bold the things you've done. Explanations are optional. Fun is guaranteed.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (not yet!)
5. Watched a meteor shower (don't think so?)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (every year!)
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (not a huge one, but I climbed one...actually we got engaged on Electric Peak in St. George, UT)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo(in middle school!)
11. Bungee jumped (twice in Wisc. Dells)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I'm not very creative!)
15. Adopted a child (duh, currently in process)
16. Had food poisoning (unfortunately)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight(who hasn't?)
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon(just this October in fact)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (slow pitch softball!)
32. Been on a cruise (Caribbean tour)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (never, knock on wood!)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (self defense when I was in middle school)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason (I do have a lovely husband)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (very scary!)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (most recently for the marathon I ran)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one (not anyone really close thankfully)
94. Had a baby (vaginally? no)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (I was stung when I was 5 and it turns out I am very deathly allergic! I haven't been stung since...knock on wood!)
Well it turns out that I am not a very cultured person! I need to get my butt out into the world a bit more!!
How about you guys?
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