LID & Shoe Funnies

Shortly after I posted yesterday about our adoption grant, I got an email from our social worker that said we were officially LID! There are four steps in this process, before we receive our Letter of Acceptance (LOA). Gotta love all the adoption acronyms, right?! 😉 The four steps are Translation, Review, Matching and Seeking Confirmation. Currently, our dossier is in the Translation phase. When we received our Log-In Date during Becca's adoption 5 years ago, we had Sydney and Brody make the letters "LID" in sign language (Read the old post here if you want to reminisce with me.). Now that we have three kids home, they each got to do a letter for Crosby's LID! They're all just getting WAY too big over here (The tween with the ripped jeans is Exhibit A). I just gotta throw in the old pic for fun...

Fun, true story... during Becca's adoption, we sent her a birthday party and a pair of crocs. Someone must have messed up her shoe size, because if you look closely in the current picture, she is wearing those crocs today. When she came to the hotel with us, she brought her birthday crocs which were only about 5 sizes too big. HAHA. At least they weren't too small; she's getting to use them this summer. Speaking of shoe funnies, we had another shoe disaster today actually. Sydney's flip flop came totally apart early in the day, and we still had lots of walking around to do. A paper clip was all I could find in my purse, so we wove it into the fabric and stuck it into the bottom of her flip flop. Voila! I walked around the rest of the day feeling like MacGuyver. [Side note: I've also been known to staple pants before. There's no wardrobe malfunction we haven't been able to handle so far armed with my Mary Poppins-like purse.] But, I think my favorite funny shoe story is when we drove all the way down to Atlanta for one of Becca's craniofacial (extremely hard to get) appointments, only to discover that my oldest (who had lived 9 years on this earth at the time) had forgotten to wear shoes that day. FORGOTTEN TO WEAR SHOES, Y'ALL. We had no choice...we parked in the garage, I gave her my socks, and we went on our merry way...getting strange looks all morning. Thankfully, she is much more responsible now, and it's my 8 year old I have to worry about remembering his shoes, glasses, underwear...basically himself. Oh, but it's so fun. They make me laugh every day, and laughter is such good medicine. Anywho, I just wanted to share our joyous news with all of you wonderful friends and family who are praying with us and following along in this journey! We love yas!!

Soli Deo Gloria,

k.

Adoption Grant!

I hope this post finds you and your family enjoying a wonderful summer. The kids and I are definitely enjoying the unscheduled days and lots of board games, of course. We are still waiting for news of our LID, and I'll post as soon as I hear something. Crosby's 2nd birthday is coming up soon, and we were able to arrange a little birthday party at his orphanage for him. I so wish we could be with him, but we are looking forward to seeing pictures from the celebration! 

I also wanted to take a moment to share about a Matching Grant opportunity, if any of you feel moved in your hearts to give toward our adoption costs. As I shared in an earlier post, our expenses are expected to total roughly $36,000. God has been so gracious in His provision, and we have been able to pay each bill so far! We have about $23,000 in costs remaining, and through the gift of a generous friend, we now have $5,000 available through a Lifesong matching grant. We have also received news that Promise686 has given us a Matching Grant commitment for $3,500! Promise686 (a 501c3 organization) is a not-for-profit ministry here in Atlanta dedicated to helping Christian families in the area with adoption and foster care needs. Promise686 will match donations they receive on our behalf dollar-for-dollar up to $3,500, thus multiplying the impact of your gifts. Any additional donations beyond that will still go toward our adoption expenses. If you and your family are in a season of blessing and God moves your hearts to give, we would so appreciate you coming alongside our family with a gift of support. Any donation given to Promise686 on our behalf is tax-deductible and will be used to help bring Crosby home. [Note: per IRS guidelines, Promise686 maintains complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.]

If you would like to be a part of supporting our adoption financially, please send a check by September 1^st to the following address, with “Wolfe Adoption” written in the memo section.

Promise686, Inc.

4729 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.

Suite 100

Berkeley Lake, GA 30092

If you prefer to give electronically, P686 can accept donations at the following link:

Give to the Wolfe Adoption Grant

We are so thankful for your love and support!

Soli Deo Gloria,

k.

DTC!

Just wanted to post a quick update about how things are coming along! On June 1st, we received word from our agency that we were officially "DTC" or Dossier to China. This means that all our initial paperwork has been authenticated and has now been sent to China! The majority of the paperwork on our end is now complete, and we are waiting for a Log-in Date ("LID") from the China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA). This usually takes 3-4 weeks, so we are hoping to be LID very soon! After that, we will be waiting to receive our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China, which can take about 3 months. So, lots of waiting ahead. 

In the meantime, we have also received news of two matching grants we've been approved for, and we are incredibly thankful for God's provision for our family. Thanks to the generosity of God's people, we already have one of them fully pledged! I'll post more information about our remaining matching grant soon.

The kids and I are enjoying the slower pace of summer and more restful days at home. We're also trying to rap up various projects on the house, so we can be ready when Crosby comes home. Please continue praying for a speedy adoption process, and that the Lord would continue to prepare the hearts of Crosby and our other children to grow as a family.

Soli Deo Gloria,

k.

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." 

Psalm 16:5-11 ESV