Secret Step: Completed!

Day 3 of working on the *Secret Step* (Getting notary certification/authentication for each notary for each form in the Dossier, from 4 counties), and I was feeling ambitious.

G was at school & my mom was watching K this morning.  I knew I could get at least one more county done, and was hoping to finish both.  

I remembered all of the paperwork when heading out the door, so that was a good start. Ha.

I headed to the furthest county, the GPS (thank God for those!) said it would take about 40 mins.  

I found my way, & parked in the parking garage.  Before I could get out of the car, another (unmarked) car backed into the space beside me.  As the guy leaned forward, typing on the laptop computer anchored in his car (huh?), I read the back of his shirt: "Recovery Agent" w/ a pic of handcuffs.  Curious, I was.  Although one of the cameras mounted on his car looked as if it were aimed right at me, I looked on.  I could clearly see his screen & he had a certain make & model of a car pulled up (a Toyota for those as interested as I).  I waited a few mins to see what would happen, but then gave up, got out, and started to walk towards the Courthouse.  A car passed in front of me, and slowly the Recovery Agent pulled out behind it.  It was a Toyota.  

Told ya, always an adventure! lol

Anyways, back on track.  I found the right office.  After only waiting a couple of minutes, it was my turn.  I gave her several papers.  As she's working on them & then walks away for a minute, I suddenly remembered I had included my ORIGINAL I-171 approval. (One I need to take with me to Honduras!)  I freaked the heck out.  When she came back, I told her- through the glass- that I had made a mistake and needed one of the forms back; that I needed to make a copy of that form & she could have the copy; I needed to keep the original separate.  She seemed thoroughly confused and was basically telling me no.  I was really freaking out at this point; she wasn't understanding.  Finally, she says, "I'm just going to paperclip them together, so you can do what you want when you get it back."  * I was freaking out b/c the others had STAPLED the authentication to the document, and I  knew my original couldn't be stapled.*  I was mad at myself for making that mistake.  There's just so much to keep straight, and such pressure to do it all right.  

11 documents x $2 each = $22 + $2 CC fee = $24 total.  Cash or Credit Card, but a CC required a fee.  I only had $18 cash, so CC it was. 

I was relieved to get out of there and get that document back in my hand.  County 3 complete.

3 Counties down, 1 to go.

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I made pretty good time, and figured I'd probably have just enough time to do County 4 before picking up the kids...I went for it. 

Although I'm most familiar with this county, it was the most difficult of all.  First of all, due to the layout of this city, its blocks, & one way streets, it was difficult to know where to park & find space.  Then I didn't know which building to go to.  There was a sign saying "Superior Court, Clerk" in front of one building & a sign saying "Clerk, Superior Court" in front of another.  Hmm. So I went with the larger, well marked, busy building.  I asked the guards if I was in the right place before going through security; they said I was.  Went through, they directed me where to go.  It was far. 

 I get there, and the office is marked as 'Clerk of Superior Court,' but when I ask someone about the notary authentications, she says: "You need another department.  Did you come through the long breezeway?" (Me: "Yes.")  "Okay, go all the way back to wear you came from, back through security, out the door, and across the street."  Hmph.  

Finally, I get there.  Sit down & the lady goes through all of the documents, printing them all, sealing, etc.  It's nice to have someone seem confident in what they're doing.  I try to make small talk as this is taking a long time (I have many from this county), and I love talking to people about adoption.  A couple minutes into it, she boldly states, "Well, if I were to adopt, I'd adopt from right here (Meaning the USA)." Me: "Yes, there are children everywhere that need a home." And we proceed to sort of 'get into it'...not to the extent I would have liked, for I had much I wanted to tell her on the situation, but I bit my tongue.  She was completely close-minded...so frustrating.  Oh well.  

11 more documents x $2 = $22.  This time, only cash (I knew I didn't have it) or check.  I never carry the checkbook around w/ me, but at the last min. this morning, I threw it in.  Whew!

By the way, the cost of apostilling is $10 PER DOCUMENT.  So, I'm thinking that puts us around $300-$400 for that.  ( + to the $50 I just spent on this paperwork this week + to the cost of gas for driving 6 hours, county to county = one expensive step!)

She did give me this information sheet that I will use to get the entire Dossier apostilled soon...tomorrow or either first of next week?!  IDK, we'll see.   SO excited!!!

4 Counties down, 0 to go!

Feeling accomplished, but we're not quite there yet.

Prayers, please, for the apostilling process to go smoothly!

~ 6 in Love ~

Secret Step: County 2

The babies (#1 & #2) were home with me all day today (yes!).  I didn't want to spend our time together driving all over the place to get the entire Dossier's notary certifications done, but thought we should do at least one.  

So, we hung out this morning around the house, & then headed out to the nearest COUNTY 2.  In the craziness of all, I nearly left the house without the paperwork.  Aye aye aye.  

And because I feel like everything we do is an adventure (haha), today was no different.  By the time I got us out of the house, I knew it would be cutting it close to noon by the time we got there, and as I've learned before, they close from 12-1 for lunch.  Yikes.  

Again, this place is huge, a large parking lot, a few difft buildings, security, where to go in?  According to my clock, the kids and I had 4 MINUTES to get out of the car and find the right place.  You better bet I was praying (and possibly yelling, "Run!!" And it may have been funny to watch.).  Wrong building.  Run again.  Thru security, trying to act calm.  Find the room, door unlocked, no sign, and there's one person in 'line' and 2 workers.  
Score.  We made it.

So, I wrangled & repeatedly threatened K patiently waited for about 5 minutes. The person in front of me leave the desk, and you guessed it.  The lady working says with a big, giant smile on her face, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm closed.  I just have to go to lunch."  Oh lawd.

Me: "Are you serious?" (as in, You saw me waiting here, 3 feet away, this whole time and chose to not tell me that until now?  and We high-tailed it here to be one person too late?)

Then the angel (aka: the other worker) pipes in: "I'll take you."  Oh, thank you, Jesus.
  
I proceed to dig thru the Dossier finding all notarized documents for this county.  There were only 3.  She did it & didn't charge me.  I didn't think of that until we were driving home.  Not sure if that's how this particular county works, or if she just forgot.  

Regardless, we did it!

2 counties down, 2 to go.

Halfway thru the secret step, 

~ 6 in Love ~

Obviously thrilled to be posing for this pic "#2"

Making wishes (which I don't believe in, but I do believe in prayer!) b/c how can you pass up a fountain?

K wished for "A motorcycle....or an alligator," and G wished for "a fountain like this in her bedroom."

Clearly, there may be some disappointment in the future.

Secret Step

I have a lot to catch you up on.  I've been so busy dealing w/ it, I haven't had time to blog.

So, as you know, the adoption process is oh-so complicated...and sometimes frustrating.  This is no different.

I was so excited to have been done with the Dossier (yay!), and *knew* that all I had to do was take the paperwork down to ATL to have it Apostilled; then we could send it off.  Everyone kept telling me how simple this step was, so we were like right there, almost done. 

Only we weren't.   Apparently there's a secret step.

I look online at the Secretary of State's site to make sure I'm set to go, call ahead like I was told to to let them know we're coming.  I call the only number I see to call, which is - of course - a recording w/ no options to push anything to talk to anyone living.  Grrr.  But the recording said something that I tried to jot down fast & actually had to call 3 times to get it all:  

In the State of Georgia, for every notary that we used in the Dossier, I had to go to that notary's county of certification to the Clerk of Superior Court.  I then had to get a notary certification for that notary for every document he/she notarized, and have that stapled to each form.  

Of course this was all jibberish to me and I had to decode all that.  And although I really like my agency, I sent a frustrated email asking what on Earth this was all about, how I was supposed to do it, why I didn't know about it, etc. She didn't know at first, but then recalled that a few states require this step.  What can you do, right?

Here's the Dossier (BEFORE adding notary certifications & apostilling forms on each).  

I'm afraid to count.

Randomly, this photo of my thumb reminds me of Art class in school.  Feel free to sketch.

So when I wrapped my brain around what this meant, I set out on my research to figure out how to accomplish this surprise task.  I went through all of our documents, and realized that we had used notaries from 4 different counties. (*Of course, had I known about this 'secret step,' I would have tried to use notaries from only 1-2 counties.)  I guess it could've been worse.  Anyways, online, I located the addresses of the Clerk of Superior Court for all 4 counties.  Then I mapquested them all to see how to get there, length of time, etc.  All in all, it would take me nearly 6 HOURS of driving time to accomplish this task. 

Mapquest said the furthest county's office was:

away.  Sheesh.

G started preschool again this week, and my friend had K over for a playdate one morning, so I decided to try to accomplish COUNTY 1 (the far away one) alone before having to pick them up.  I navigated thru the city (It's ALWAYS rush hour in ATL.  For real.)  and found the office.  

B & W makes this journey look better ;) 

In summary: no wrong turns on the way there, entered only one wrong building, found the office, went thru security, got the Notary Certifications with no problem (thank you, Jesus!!) & paid $4.  2 wrong turns getting back, and still had a few mins to meet Cuban Daddy for a quick lunch date before picking up G & K.  Whew!   

1 county down, 3 to go.

Always an adventure, 

 ~ 6 in Love ~

DATE of 2nd Annual ADOPT YardSale Has CHANGED!

Sometimes it's all just too much.  
Sometimes it just doesn't work out as planned. 

Unfortunately, this is one of those times.  

Due to several reasons, we just can't make 

the YardSale happen this weekend. 

Yes, I'm disappointed.  

But...

I will choose not to dwell on the fact I've nearly killed myself, unnecessarily, this Spring Break to try make it happen.

I will choose, instead, to believe that this is 

a blessing in disguise.

I feel sure that this delay will only benefit 

the outcome of this YardSale.

More prep work & help.
More advertising.
More donations of 'stuff' for the Sale.
Ultimately, more money to bring the babies home.

And bringing them home is all that matters right now.


So, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your help so far!

Thank you to:

My husband...for everything.
My parents...for helping plan, move stuff, organize, donations, and work/hands.
My brother Cam...for letting us use his truck again & again to gather donations & move stuff.
My friends Shannon, Nicole, Julia, Nisha, Mrs. Pam, Sha & Bethany, and others... for donating items.
My other friends Claire, Lauren, and Ms. Barbara, and others...for sharing our page/link to spread the word about the Sale. 
And thank you all for your prayers.

* If I've forgotten anyone, I'm sorry!  

So, now, the big change.  

There will be NO YardSale this weekend, Apr 12-13. 

Instead, 

Our 2nd Annual ADOPT YardSale will be on Friday & Saturday, May 3-4!!! 

Some of the items we'll have at the sale: 

An Everlast punching bag & gloves, a recliner, a large chair + ottoman, an armoire, tons of children's & baby clothes, men's & women's clothes, shoes & cleats, a new ceiling fan, lighting, lots of decorative items, children's books, toys, and much more!


Hope many of you can stop by.  
Sorry for the change of date, but thank you for spreading the word, friends!  

Overwhelmed & exhausted, but grateful, 

~ 6 in Love ~

*Totally unrelated, but super exciting side note: this week, I found out that two families I know are pursuing adoption!  Man, that makes my heart happy!

Doing the Dossier: Pre-approval via Email!

Got some exciting feedback regarding the Dossier in an email today:

Cuban Daddy scanned the majority of our Dossier documents into the computer last week, emailed them to me, and then I emailed them to Buckner (our agency in TX).  

Today, I heard back from her that they all look good!!

**The 'feedback below' was that the only hang-up may be regarding Cuban Daddy's Cuban birth certificate.  I didn't understand all the lingo, but it seemed as if they could handle it.  Not sure, but it didn't seem too alarming.  In fact, the agency worker stationed in Honduras said it looked great & we should SEND THE DOSSIER!!!  

Shut the door.  

I can't even believe I'm saying that.  

So, next step is to call the Secretary of State's office & confirm when we can drive to ATL to have ALL of the documents apostilled.  (At this point, I'd rather make the drive then risk the mail.)  Hopefully we can do that this week, make our extra sets of copies, and then...hold on a minute... MAIL the Dossier!  

Oh, thank God.  Such a relief.  

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In the meantime, don't forget about our 2nd Annual ADOPT YardSale happening this Friday & Saturday!  If you're in the Metro-Atlanta area & have some things you've been meaning to donate anyhow, we'd gladly accept. ;)  All proceeds are helping to fund the adoption.  

We'll have ADOPT shirts for sale there, too.  And if you already own one?  Please wear it!  We love seeing our friends show their support.  

These cute brothers aren't local to us, but they wore theirs anyhow!!

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And, I'm no crier.  For real.

But a friend shared this video w/ me & I lost it.  Check it out:

http://www.churchleaders.com/children/childrens-ministry-videos/165138-home-at-last.html

And if I were 'with it' enough to understand how to put the actual video on here, I'd do it, 

but ain't nobody got time for that! 

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Thank you, w/ a bounce in my step, 

~ 6 in Love ~

2nd Annual ADOPT YardSale

Okay, I was looking at our crazy calendar for this Spring.  It seems that every Saturday is filled (Both kids playing soccer have contributed), except for NEXT Saturday.

We really wanted to do another Spring YardSale.  We have some things that didn't sell last year, in addition to lots of 'new' things we've compiled over the past year.  My parents have already given us lots to add to it, and we've some sweet friends & family that have held onto stuff for us for this sale.  

So, last minute, but... we're going to do our 

2nd Annual ADOPT YardSale on 

Friday, April 12 & Saturday, April 13!!!  

ALL proceeds from it will go towards 

our Adoption fees/expenses 

to bring the babies home.  

Are you doing Spring cleaning?  Dejunking around your house?  Cleaning out closets? Realizing your kids have way too much (Ours certainly do!!) and want to get rid of some of their toys/clothes?  Have a 'Goodwill' pile that you'd like to donate to us instead?  Old jewelry collecting dust?  Want to make room in your attic or garage?  Furniture you no longer want?

If so....  We'd be happy to take those items off of your hands!  (Haha)  If you have anything you'd like to donate to our ADOPT yardsale, please let me know as soon as you can.  We can arrange to pick it up, we can meet, or you could bring it over.  We're storing stuff in our garage until the Sale.  

And also, whether you have stuff to donate or not, would you mind asking a couple of family members or friends if they have stuff they'd like to donate?  Every little bit helps!

If you guys are anything like us, we keep a running pile/bin/bag that we are constantly adding to. 

Also, would you please share this information with others?  We'd love a HUGE crowd to come and and support. The more that know about the sale, the more buyers we'll have.  And the closer we'll get to being able to bring the babies home!  

 If you come by & you have one of our ADOPT shirts, please wear it...we'd love to see it on you!  =)  *We'll also have all of our remaining ADOPT shirts at the Sale, so you can pick one up there for your or your child.*  

I may set out a few of my "Painted Peach" art items for sale as well.  

*** For privacy purposes, we're sharing the location address on our personal Facebook Pages, so if we're 'friends', you can get that info there.    =)  

We are constantly in awe of your generosity.  I've said it before & I'll say it again- 

We couldn't do this without your help.  Thank you in advance!!

~ 6 in Love ~  

A few pics from last year's sale:

Please help us make this one a great success!

Pix + Doing the Dossier: Organized, Scanning, Copying

The title pretty much sums up our current status.  

We're oh-so-close to being finished w/ the Dossier.  I know I keep saying that, but there's just several steps to finalizing it.  

Last night, we got EVERY document organized & in place (except the ONE that's yet to come in the mail.)  I met the mailman in the driveway today...nope, nothing.  Cuban Daddy is getting the last of them notarized (hopefully today).  Then, he'll scan them in so I can email them to our agency for a pre-approval of sorts. Hopefully we'll hear back from them this week, and then can have them all Apostilled in ATL next week!

 Then.... we can mail it!!!!!!!

Next step would be for our agency in Texas to approve, add a couple of documents to it, and then send it to Honduras!

Followed by Honduras translating it (couple months time frame?), and then doing whatever they have to do, meet, etc. to get us on the waiting list (couple more months?)

And then...the NUMBER.

I. can't. wait.  (Okay, so I can, but it's so, so hard!)

A few pics of the past couple weeks:

Fun family Saturday (Daddy's not working, what?!)

Making rainbow necklaces for... 

St. Patty's Day! 

...in which G insisted on me hand-painting a clover on each tiny nail!

K and I tried something I've been wanting to do for a while: find a trail for me to walk/jog & him to ride.  Success!   

A fun lunch to celebrate my Grandma's 86th Bday (& Auntie V too!)

We love being able to walk to my other Grandparents' house.  My favorite part of this visit was the way K was watching his Great-Grandpa read. 

Shopping with my little guy is always an adventure.  Twisting his head up in a pant leg.  

Sounds like a good idea. ;) 

One day, I was able to pick G up from school w/o her little bro in tow...so we stopped at a playground for a few mins.   

Too smart for their own good, these two.

Having had enough of their fussing, I told them to go the their rooms to play & don't leave. 

I hear whispering & giggling, & find this: "But our feet are still in our rooms!" 

Successful dental check ups (K's first!)  Doggy got an exam too; I'm pretty sure the Dr. was thrilled to do that. lol 

Fun playdates 

What a corner of our bedroom looks like every morning at 5:00 am:

Learning apps until they can do no more...than a little Netflix while CD & I try for just a few more mins of rest... 

 Hey-ey!

Oh the grease.  Oh the onion rings.  Oh the chili cheese dog.

Oh the tummy.

So worth it! 

Times like this are few & far btwn, but when I can get K to do it, it's awesome. 

Book nookin' 

We got FLURRIES!  So exciting. 

As all you Northerners think we're ridiculous. 

Happy Bday to their Great-Grandpa, Pops! 

Pancakes to celebrate 

Took time to get my hair done.  Once every couple months, I am able to sit still for like 3 hrs.

It's ah-mazing. 

More play w/ more friends...love it! 

G & I attended back to back bday parties for a couple of her friends one day.  Then we extended our Mommy-daughter time by having dinner at one of her fav spots.  She brought 'Orangy Pink'...so fun! 

Hopefully the next update will be that the Dossier is out of our hands!

~ 6 in Love ~