Approved at Last!

I decided to take a break from 31 Days to share some praiseworthy news with you all.  By this point you are well acquainted with my "No Dumps Days" policy, and frankly I haven't written this sooner because the past few weeks have kind of been a string of Dumps Days.  We just finished moving Jake to Kansas, where he will sign in to his new unit on Friday.  Right now, that's really all I can say about that without getting really wallowy.  I know that many of you were praying with us for a different outcome, please now pray with us that God will use this for something good.

And now, for the story you tuned in for.  We spent Christmas in Little Rock on our way to Kansas to sign a lease on Jake's new place.  On Christmas Eve, we had brunch with Jake's mom's side of the family at the Capital Hotel.  It was a very nice time, and a chance to see family we never see. As you can imagine, brunch for fourteen people takes time, and Howie got a little bored (I think all the kids did).  But not me! Because while he was doing this...

I was getting an email from our case worker at Vista Del Mar, telling me that she received our immigration approval from Homeland Security, and that our adoption dossier is now complete!  I was overjoyed (Jake was too, although I had to tell him later so we could enjoy the news together before everyone else got wind of it).  What a great blessing! So now ICAB (the Philippines adoption authority) officially has a completed dossier on our family, and soon we expect to be notified that we are on the "Waiting Families" list in the Philippines. It doesn't mean that we will be matched tomorrow (likely, it will be a year or more), but it means that we are on the list.  When the right child comes along, ICAB will find us.  

When we got back home from Christmas (before we drove the U-Haul to Kansas), this was waiting in our mailbox:

Approval!! Anyone else notice that they actually approved us for TWO babies!?! Oh goodness! Guess we will see what God has in store. Please keep praying for/with us!

And rejoice with us! We are one step closer!