Fed-Ex and Fingerprints

Well, much excitement has happened since our last post. On Friday, the Fed-Ex man came to give us documents on Josiah and our China visa applications. He came right in the middle of my Mandarin class with 6 kiddos. They all cheered when I told them the rectangle package held very important documents for us to be able to go to China to pick up our son. I had a 6 kid cheering team...so nice. We had to quickly get the documents signed and sent back to China.
Paxton came home, changed, and we rushed out to Wal-Greens for visa photos. Of course, Hope decided to throw a fit in the middle of the store when the man tried to take her pic, so her visa photo looks like she's abused. We got an extra one for "posterity". Perhaps, we'll show this one on her wedding day.


After Wal-greens, we rushed Kinko's where we mailed in our passports (gulp) and all documents pertaining to accepting Josiah as our son.

Today, Tuesday, we rushed up to Denver to get fingerprints renewed for the US governmental "red tape" clearance. Fingerprints are only good for 15 months, because the US assumes that after 15 months, our fingerprints will change or perhaps, we will chop off our hands and change them with someone elses. This is my understanding of why fingerprints would EVER expire in our lifetimes. Paxton's understanding is that this is another way for the government to keep track of us and make sure that our status hasn't changed in the last 15 months. I think my reasoning makes more sense...

BECAUSE of this fingerprinting renewal, our process may be delayed up to 90 days, so we are asking for much prayer on this part. This is now the USA side that may delay us. China may send us permission to travel very soon, so if we don't have the USA approval to adopt Josiah, we can't go. Please PLEASE pray that God would dearly intervene so that when China does tell us that we can fly, that the USA would allow us to go. Oh, the Red TAPE of bringing our son home.... In the end, it's all worth it, and we can't wait to bring him home.

The Call!!!

At 12:10pm today, we got the Call!!!! Hope and I were sitting, eating a nice noodle dish, when Morgan from AAC called. He'd been in China, and when he got back into the office today, a nice package was waiting for him. We got the LOA (Letter of Approval).

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What does this mean? It means we will be in China probably within 6 weeks starting from TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (God willing)

So, we could be in China for Halloween or just a bit after that. We will have Josiah in time for Christmas (God willing)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do have to add that I've had this awful Laryngitis for 5 days now. (Can you imagine OUR house being so quiet????) So when I picked up the phone and Morgan told me about the news, my voice sounded like a chronic smoker's. When I tried to scream, nothing came out. Morgan's response "I guess you're a bit excited, huh" haha...that's an understatement!!!!

Worship at New Life Church

You can listen to the song "Overcome", which we sang after the shooting last December. Indeed, God's people can overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelations 12:11)

Josiah's Toddler Shower

What a blast! Shannon C threw such a fun shower, theme was red with balloons and streamers, fruit, bagels, chocolate. There was a quiz on Josiah's stats. Here are some of the funny answers:

What is so special about Josiah's province?
funny answers: Chairman Mao was born there; It's a spicy province; the Olympics were there
Right answer: Hope was born there as well as Lisa's mom. (No, the Olympics didn't happen there)

Some great advice about boys:
-Boys aren't supposed to be clean, quiet, and gentle
-Let dad take them to the bathroom
-Boys don't hold grudges
-Boys will turn anything into weapons
-Boys will become men, leaders
-Boys skim books faster
-Boys like to beat up on each other

Prepping for the shower

Hanging out, eating, doing the Josiah quiz

A toy for a little boy: a bulldozer!!

Cars! We've actually never seen the movie, so I guess we'd better go rent the video!

Boy colors. We're getting ready for Josiah. Now, if only China would call us and give us permission to start packing!!!!

Still no word from China

This is major False labor. Many people with their paperwork in China the same time as we did have gotten "the call", approving the parents to start packing.

We are sitting by the phone, waiting and waiting.

Nothing....yet.

Hope is getting antsy. The other night, she cried, I miss my 第第(little brother). Well, we are on our knees, knowing that the Lord has the perfect timing for us to go.

Our agency Rep is flying to China today, to talk with the people who hold our paperwork. Hopefully, he can do a little nudging to get them to get a move on. We'll hear from him when he gets back next week.

Until then, we wish you all 中秋节快了 （Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival）!!!

GOLDILOCKS according to Hope Mellinger, 3.5 years old

This is not intended to "show" Hope off. We just wanted somewhere to write this story, so she can look at it later.

One day, there were three bears who made cereal but it was too hot, so they opened the windows and took a walk. There was a bad Goldilocks who wanted to go inside, but a good Goldilocks told the bad one to wait for the bears to come back. So she did. When the bears came back, Goldilocks was hungry, so the bears gave her some cereal to eat. Afterwards, they gave her a seat that didn't break. She was tired, so she was able to sleep in a bed. Then she went home, but she was friends with the bears later.

Labor Day Weekend Camping trip

Our camp site. Hope was sooo excited to sleep in a tent. Of course, all the kids were, so none of the kids slept the first night, which meant none of the parents really slept either.

The second night, we had dinner together

Some of the men putting the shish-kabobs together

Nariman's home made grill was PERFECT for grilling the shish-kabobs!!!

Smoke gets in my eyes...

Delicious!!!Food!!!!!

After dinner hayride!!

Some of the boys playing on the sandy hill. Dirt and kids just love each other