Oh Happy Day...Our Paperwork is Done!!

Well, we didn't have to wait very long for our official letter from Immigration, we got it yesterday!!!!  We are both so excited and a little in shock that it came so fast :)  We went out to celebrate the completion of this BIG step towards our adoption.  At this point, minus two photos that we can get at Walgreens today, we are ready to send our dossier to Holt who then reads over it and forwards everything to Ethiopia.  Awwwww, what a big sigh of relief to have the paperwork done!!  At this time, Holt is still saying that it will be about 9-12 months until our baby comes home, so we are definitely still going to need your prayers for patience, to keep us busy, and for our baby's safety over the next coming months.  I know this wait is going to be hard, but we have to get to this point to move closer to meeting our baby. 

With our official letter

Celebrating at Blue Agave

Last night at supper, Matt and I were talking over our adoption journey and how surreal it is to be at this point.  After we had tried for a year unsuccessfully and then learned that we couldn't have our own children, I never thought we'd get here.  I didn't think I/we had the emotional ability to get to this spot.  I am telling you that I never expected to be appreciative of everything we've gone through...but I am :)  I am so thankful for the journey God has put us on and for the little child waiting in Ethiopia for us!  I am so thankful for the characteristics God is carving in me to be the best mom I can be.  It's amazing to think that God ordained this and that Matt and I are apart of something far bigger than just us.  Baby we love you and we are now a step closer to getting to hold you in our arms!!  Hugs and kisses from mom and dad!!

We've Been Fingerprinted

We had our appointment with Immigration Tuesday morning (July 19th) for fingerprinting.  We were in and out in no time!!  Hopefully we'll hear from they with the final go ahead in a week or two, but we have no idea how long our wait will be.  The pictures above are of Matt and I with our stamped paperwork from Immigration.

Busy, Busy

So a few friends -I won't name names- have gotten on me for not posting lately :).   I do apologize, we have been busy.  I'll do my best to try and summarize the last month.
First off, we have an appointment with Immigration on Tuesday the 19th.  We'll get our fingerprints done that day and then we'll wait for them to give us the official go ahead.  Matt and I plan to make a day of it and finish up the last letter we need as well as get everything notarized.  That way we'll be ready to send off our dossier as soon as we receive the okay from immigration.

For Memorial weekend we headed to Table Rock Lake with my family.  We had so much fun!!  The lake was flooded so we weren't able to ski or play on the water, but we did get on the lake to snoop around and also got plenty of float time.  We also all went to a Lynard Skynard and ZZ Top concert.  It was a blast and the people watching was awesome ;)  Let's just say a lot of older folks living out their glory days!!  Too funny!  Table Rock is a home away from home for us.  I spent many summers on this lake growing up and can't wait for my children to do the same.

Matt and I decided to try our green thumbs at a garden this year.  We've had a lot of fun checking it every day and seeing what we have growing.  Who would have ever thought I'd enjoy spending hours in a garden.  Next year we like to at least double it.

We spent a weekend in KC with my brother and Matt's family.  We took in two Cubs/Royals games and spent a lot of time by the pool.  I could do that every weekend!!

Fourth of July is often spent at home with our neighbors.  We are so blessed by our neighbors and the friendships that have formed there.  The neighbor kids put on quite a firework show for us and for now, we just get to sit back and enjoy it.  I'm sure our time for buying the fireworks will come when our kids get older.

Lots more trips and fun things coming up on the calendar for us.  Our goal is to keep ourselves busy and knock a few items off our bucket list before our baby comes home.  So there's the run down.  I hope this gets me out of the dog house with some of you ;)  Thanks for thinking of us and offering your encouragement.  I think we both are surprised at the peace we feel and the patience we have (at least most of the time).  This is definitely not by our power.

megan

Waiting on Immigration

We know that the US Immigration office has received our paperwork, we got an email confirmation this last week.  Now we wait for an appointment to get our fingerprints done.  Hopefully that won't be too far out, but we have been told it can take 6 weeks.  BOO!!!  We are keeping ourselves busy in the meantime: yard work, staining the patio, gardening, and college world series started this weekend.  We are also getting around any loose ends for the dosier, so that when we get our approval we are ready to send in the next step.  Our child will not be waiting on us!!! 

Starting Immigration Paperwork

We received our FINAL copy of our home study this last week.  With it instructions on how to persue our next step...immigration.  I feel like we're on a treasure hunt!!!  Get one step done and get a clue on where the next "check" is :)  Our treasure waiting at the end of all this is definitely worth all the hard work. 

I can't believe I'm actually going to say this, but I don't mind the paperwork; in fact I kind of like it.  It gives me something to do and I feel like I have some say/control in what is happening.  Maybe false control, but it does make me feel better.  We're working as fast as we can to get to you, baby! 

I just got done downloading paperwork for the I-600A form that we have to fill out and send into immigration.  This is our petition to bring an international child to the United States.  It's amazing to me that the instructions are twice as long as the actual paperwork...may be in for some complicated paperwork.  But then again, is anything that has to do with the government not complicated??!!!  I'm looking forward to diving in, but wanted to send out a quick update. 

Love you all!  Thanks for keeping tabs on us.  megan

Home Study...Check :-)

That's right friends!!  Our home study is officially done and yes, we passed :)  Bonnie sent us a rough draft to read over last night.  And this afternoon, we reviewed the home study together.  After that, Bonnie showed us pictures from her trip to Ethiopia in January.  It was cool to see pictures of places that Matt and I will actually be going to. 

We are so excited to check off another big piece of the puzzle.  But I must admit, I am anxious that we are getting closer to the dreaded wait--when all of our work is done and there is nothing we can do to speed things up.  I'm trying not to think about that now though.  It's time to celebrate another step and in the meantime, we still have paperwork to get together for the dossier.   We're getting closer everyday to meeting our little one.

Fuller Family Profile

I have wanted to share Matt and I's adoption profile for a while now, but my computer skills are pretty limited!!  But I finally got it, however without pictures--it will have to do for now.  So many people put a lot of time and effort into our profile, and even though we are not using it as is, we have definitely used bits and pieces as we have been writing letters to the ministry in Ethiopia and filling out questions in regards to the adoption.  So thank you again to family and friends, especially my brother who rewrote our entire profile, for your IQ points and time regarding our profile.  We are so thankful that so many are behind us regarding our adoption.  Love you all!!    

About Matt and Megan

Matt and Megan grew up in the same small town in Kansas. Matt spent his childhood helping his dad on the family farm, playing football, fishing, hunting, and spending weekends at the lake with family and friends. Megan’s childhood was spent playing softball and tennis, participating in church youth group, and taking family vacations to historical, interesting and just plain fun destinations across the country. Matt and Megan were high school sweethearts. We started dating when Megan was a sophomore and Matt a senior and never looked back.  

Matt is a very driven, intelligent, and fun-loving man. He is a respected software engineer and currently holds two master’s degrees, and soon plans to begin working on his third. Several years ago he decided that we should take up hiking as a hobby, which soon led to camping, biking, and running. Matt also enjoys spending time with his friends playing basketball and poker.   

Matt has a younger brother and sister who are married, and each has recently been blessed with a little one. Matt and Megan love spending time with their nephews, who are both 6 months old. We can’t wait for them to get a little bigger, so they can take them camping and hiking. Matt’s parents recently bought the farmstead in Kansas where Matt’s grandparents once lived and Matt enjoys making trips back home to help his parents remodel the farmhouse.

Megan is a dedicated nurse and passionate about caring for her patients.  Her compassion for others has never been limited only to her professional life, but spills over into everything she does. Recently Megan completed her third visit to the impoverished regions of Mexico on a mission trip. This trip was extra special to her because she was accompanied by her dad. Megan has also spent her time as a youth leader and high school Sunday school teacher at church.  Megan has always been very creative and spends her time decorating her home, taking and editing pictures, and always has a project to work on. She also loves spending time with friends shopping or hanging out at each other’s homes.

Megan has a younger brother who recently completed his undergraduate studies and will be starting graduate school soon. Megan’s parents have a vacation home on Table Rock Lake in southern Missouri. The house serves as a rendezvous point for family and friends throughout the year and we try to plan as many trips as possible. In the fall, many Saturday afternoons are spent at K-State football games with Megan’s entire family and often times Matt’s as well.

Matt and Megan have been married now for eight years and fall more deeply in love with each passing year together. We have worked very hard over the first few years of our marriage to create a solid foundation, both financially and emotionally, for our young family. We love animals and are the proud owners of Jack, our 6 year old dog. We rescued Jack from an animal shelter while they were living in Topeka, Kansas. He is a huge part of our family, and goes almost everywhere we go: on vacations, tailgating, hiking, and camping.

Family is very important to both Megan and Matt. We consider ourselves very blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing and supportive environment. We would love nothing more than for the next chapter of their lives to be spent loving and raising a child.

Matt and Megan