Saturday

Step by Step

Well, little bit by little bit we are making our way through this long and arduous process. In case anyone was counting we reached the six week mark this past Thursday the 28th. We had hoped we would be home by now but it looks like it will be another three weeks. Good news is that as of today, the 30th, Ethan and Alex are officially ours according to Kazakhstan law. That means this week we can start all of the paperwork to get them new passports, visas, etc. We are also planning to take custody of Ethan on Wednesday and finally we will all be together.

So, for everyone who has offered us help in the form of hand-me-downs we are very excited to receive such help. Several of you have asked for sizes for clothes and shoes and have asked what else we might need so below is a cursory list of some forseeable needs. As best as we can figure, Ethan will fit into either 6T/7T or Small clothes and wears a size 4 to 4-1/2 shoe. Alex will fit into 3T clothes and wears a kids size 12-1/2 to 13 shoe.

What we need:
clothes; shoes; outdoor toys like balls, bats, skateboards, skooters, bikes, etc.; kids books; kids puzzles; indoor toys like legos, cars, etc.; swimming/pool stuff like floaties, inner tubes, etc.

We would like to thank all of you in advance and we really want to stress that we aren't asking for anything new! We are more than happy to accept hand-me-downs or other things that you were planning on getting rid off but we don't want people to buy us anything new.

Thanks again everyone, and please keep praying! Please pray that all the paperwork that needs to happen in the next three weeks gets done with no problems and as quickly as possible; pray for us as we bring Ethan to live with us and we start to really bond with him; pray for Ethan as he transitions from the Children's Village to our tiny apartment; pray for Alex as he transitions from being an only child to having his brother in the mix; pray for our sanity as we continue to wait for the ability to bring our two boys home to the US. We really miss home!

4 comments:

April Odendahl said...

Baby steps!! We are praying up a storm over here and it sounds as if things are settling down for the moment. Be careful though, it is a parental myth!!! "Settling down" just means momentarily not forever!!!
We believe in you!!!
Jewel and Seth have been bringing down puzzles, games, books, cars,building materials and other cool learning tools (Leap Frog ABC's etc.). They are excited to be giving away some of their toys for Alex and Ethan. I am sure I have some 3-4T boys clothes but I don't know for what season.
We will be putting up our backyard pool ext weekend (16x36 ft.)and the Millers and the Jarretts do not have a membership fee this year. :):)
I am sure we will be gathering up more items for you as we look around. I will also gather some tabletop supplies like glue, crayons, scissors, coloring books, stickers, and of course play dough!! A couple of dump trucks, sand or dirt and a shovel or two and go a long way with boys. A sprinkler and some flashlights are always a hit!!
I will get some picture cards made with common words and objects before the end of the school year. If you remember we talked about this but ran out of time. I will try to get common, functional word pictures for you to use for communication.
We are looking forward to your return and joining in on loving your boys!!!

Anonymous said...

Yeah!! Another step forward! I am so excited things are becoming more final and you are one more step closer to coming home! Thanks for sharing the info on what you need. I will collect up what I can. I also had the same thought about word pictures so I am glad someone else is giving you those! Hang in there! You are down to the home stretch and before you know it you will be getting on a plane for the US!!! We'll be praying for Ethan's transition as well as Alex!

Love you guys!
Julie

Unknown said...

If anyone reading this would like to donate according to their list, you are welcome to drop it off to The Sircus House if you plan on giving to them before they arrive. We can take it to their home. Our number is 443-904-2281.

The Stone's said...

Wow, you weren't kidding about the "don't plan on 6 weeks" advice. I am so thankful to read your blog - it has really made us think about a lot of things! Becoming a parent overnight is always crazy, but to do it times 2 is amazing! We are so inspired by you guys! Thanks again for all the info!

We are still waiting, haven't heard anything new.

-Dustin & Cortney, Dallas TX