Care Packages!

Update: We finished our home study interviews and are now waiting for the home study packet to be finalized. Once that is complete, we can send it with an official form to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Department (we will be including a cover letter requesting that the approval is expedited since both children are in a dire situation). Once we receive approval, we submit the full dossier to China and wait for it to be "logged-in." From the official Log-in Date (LID), it may be only 2 months before we receive Travel Approval to go to China!
-----

Once we received pre-approval for Yana, we started putting together our care packages for both kids. Typically, orphanages are not "officially" notified that the child has a family until after Travel Approval is issued. Sending a care package before that gives the orphanage (and our children!) a heads-up that we are coming!

It was such a huge thing to pick out items for both kids! For Yana, we decided on a long-sleeved shirt and pants, two pairs of socks, some warm booties, a digital camera (so her care-givers can take photos of where she lives and her friends), a plush owl with rattle, a stuffed toy lamb, and four Lara bars. It all fit just perfectly in the shoe box, which is the size needed to avoid customs issues!

For Payton, we decided on an Under Armour hoodie, two pairs of socks, two matchbox cars, a digital camera (the same one Bill took to Afghanistan 6 years ago- it is rugged!), a recorder (since he loves music) and four Lara bars.

We are also including laminated photos of our family and the kids' rooms.  We can't wait to get Travel Approval and bring them home!


Not everyone can adopt, but everyone can support adoption. Please help bring Payton and Yana home by giving via the links at the right. Even $5 or $10 helps meet our goals and makes the adoptions possible. Thank you!!!