And their off......................

And their off..................... I made it to the Sec. of State office this morning and got the 2 doctors letters sealed in about 15 minutes. Then, I dropped them off at the UPS store to go to Chicago to get the last set of seals. It should reach them by 10:30 am tomorrow and possibly in Alabama (Villa Hope) by Friday (@10:30am). She said she would get them off to Peru asap! She is supposedly e-mailing Maria (attorney in Peru) copies now so she can get the translating going while she waits to receive the hard copies. Yippppeeeee!!!

I have to tell you the sweet little thing Dayton said yesterday. Larry and I were talking about all of the things we need to take care of and the amount of time we will be gone and Dayton said, "Will I be coming to the airport when you come home with her?" I said, "YESSSSSSSSSSSS!"
Then he said, "Well, I don't know who I'll hug first, mom or little sister!" That makes me have a lump in my throat as I type it! It is overwhelming sweet to see how excited both of the boys are! Looooooooooove it!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAYTON!

12 Candles on Dayton's cake this year!

That's right, on Saturday he'll be 12 years old. Larry took both of the guys to Chadwick this evening (the boys start 4 day spring break tomorrow) to camp and ride bikes. This is the first time that Dayton has shown any interest since his accident. However, he has absolutely NO interest in riding his motorcycle. He says he'll stick to the 4-wheeler for a little bit. A-OK with mom. Larry says that Dakota is becoming quite a rider these days on his bike. I gave him a teeny weenie lecture before they left about not getting too cocky/gutsy and riding foolishly. He promised he wouldn't. Hmmmmmm....

Isaiah 40:31 says that those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. TODAY, our strength was renewed. I checked my e-mail via my phone while at work today and noticed one from Villa Hope. It said that the SNA office had reviewed our dossier already and just needed a couple clarifications. Please don't miss the coolest thing here.....they told us it would probably be a couple months while we waited to be approved, Yesterday was 3 weeks!!! The problems they had were: Dayton's birth date was recorded wrong on his physical examination and my doc had crossed out something that he had written and they didn't like that. I quickly got on the phone and asked both doctor's offices if they would write the little letter they were requesting, stating the corrections and mine is ready for me to pick up tomorrow and Dayton's will be ready to pick up on Monday. Both offices agreed to have them notarized and I will hopefully have them sealed at the Secretary of State on Monday and put in the mail to Chicago for the last set of seals.

The movement so quickly is very encouraging. Our strength is renewed!

We are soaring.........on wings...................like eagles!

Cute little Marta!

Well, in case you are wondering, no "new" news. Waiting to be approved.

Above is a picture of the Cabbage Patch that my grandma gave me a bizzillion years ago. Her name is Marta Lavinia. Isn't that a pretty name??.....nope! But...what she is wearing is oh so pretty. Our sweet friend Mary Jo made one for Lil' Sister and one for her baby doll. So, Marta is modeling the adorable scarf for you! Thank you very much Mary Jo for thinking of us.

It's a Beautiful Day - In more ways then one!

Ok - I have had a couple "stressful" days! I had not heard anything about the crazy translation and it had been over 3 weeks. Then, it occurred to me to check the date on the physical exams because they can only be 3 months old when you submit your dossier to the SNA office. Well...when I looked them up, my eyes welled up with tears because...... THEY HAD ALL 4 EXPIRED! Arggggggg. If you want me to TRANSLATE that, it means, all four of us would have to re-visit the Dr., AIDS testing and other blood tests, not to mention all the seals, seals, seals. Plus all the $$$ it would cost to have all that re-done! I immediately piped off an e-mail to our agency (Monday night), explaining my concerns and she didn't respond until Tuesday late afternoon saying, "I'm just sure that's all taken care of" - "But I'll check". So, today she e-mailed me again telling me that she had heard from Maria (the lawyer in Peru) and - Get This - IT WAS DONE BEING TRANSLATED AND SHE HAD TURNED IT IN LAST WEEK!!
Hellooooooooooooooo Did anyone know I was going CRAZY here???
Any ole' who ~ That's awesome news! Total answer to prayers over the last couple days. That God would work out all of the details and HE DID! It is a Beautiful Day! :)
Now..we have to wait to be approved, which she said would take a couple months.
My mom reminded me of a song that I learned at church when I was little. (You can make your own conclusions as to why I have remembered every word to this particular song.)
It goes like this:
Have patience ~ Have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, Remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times when others HAD TO WAIT FOR YOU!!
You like it? If you want, I'll sing it for you, cuz I'm in such a Celebratory mood today!

ticktockticktockticktockticktock

Well, not much of an update here but, it seems as if we might be "Lost in Translation". Not technically, I suppose, but we were told it would be about 2 weeks and yesterday (Friday), was 3! Hmmmmm....Our first taste of the waiting game. Hopefully they will notify us this week and it will be off to the SNA office, ASAP!
Meanwhile, Dakota had his first "dance" last weekend on Valentines Day. He looked so......handsome. I had to contemplate which word to say, I don't seem to say many "14-year old correct" things these days. :) Not sure the one I used here is ok, might need to run it by him.
Also, Larry is off to Croc, Mexico as of tomorrow morning for a mission trip. Croc is where he went on his first mission experience and he is excited to return.
The four of us started Spanish lessons on Monday nights. We have only had one class so far, but the boys and I will go this next week without dad. I expect he will be getting enough "lessons" of his own, being immersed in it all next week.
Hope to have good news soon.
Take care!

Dossier in TRANSLATION

Our dossier has been in Peru for almost a week. Supposedly, in translation which takes about 2 weeks, from what I understand. Then "Maria" (the attorney) will hand deliver it to the SNA office. I learned today that there are approx. 380 families on the list to adopt from Peru. Hmmmm.....don't know what that means for sure. I also learned that 25'ish orphans were placed in homes with families in January. Again, it's difficult to calculate or try to figure it out because there are so many different scenarios.
On the home front, last night was a little bit sad for Dakota Ray Thurn's ole' mom. :( What in the world? WHY, did I have to go to a parent meeting about Dakota enrolling for HIGH SCHOOL!! Yikes!! How could he seriously be going to High School?? Seems very weird. People have always told me to enjoy every moment because they go by so fast. At times like these, I realize that that is SOOOOO true.

And the waiting begins.......

Okay..the most exciting news to date! Our dossier is officially on it's way to Peru. Expected arrival date? Tomorrow! It will then be in the hands of our "adoption attorney" and she will have it translated and take it to the office herself. Seems as if we should be in the system sometime next week. And the waiting begins......
We have plenty of things to do while we wait. Like, get moving on some Spanish lessons and tons of other details about going to get her and when she arrives HOME. What an awesome day that will be.
I want to add a side note, but very sweet and important. It's how incredibly interested and involved her big brothers are. Each day when they get home from school they ask what happened with items that I might have mentioned the night before. They pay close attention to detail and express their opinions frequently ( which are valued). I am certain that they will the best "Big Brothers" ever!