We felt very blessed to work with our wonderful agency and China Rep. Kelsey Melvin from Faith International for our last two adoptions. It certainly was a bittersweet departure this time, but considering our little guy had a partnership with another agency, it was a must. I completely trust that He works all things together for good and we are happy with our new agency so far. However, with new also comes new ways to do things! So when I found out that authenticating my documents was something I could do, or pay to have done, I obviously chose to do them myself. Feeling quite confident I could handle this menial task, I pressed on! Well, that was until our homestudy was done and ready to move on to the next stage of this document game! I found myself gathering documents and I started sweating bullets that I would mess something up! I checked and rechecked my notary stamps and dates, and all looks well, so I called to see how the whole process works!
Lady: Hello, authenticating department! How can I help you?
Mandy: Hi I was hoping to get some information about how the walk in process works?
Lady: Uhhh well you just walk in!
Mandy: Oh ok, well, what should I bring?
Lady: Your notarized documents!
Mandy: Oh ok, well, it is same day turn around correct? Should I be there by a certain time?
Lady: Well, we close at 5!
Mandy: So if we get there at 11 or 12 is that okay?
Landy: As long as you are here between 8-5, we will do them for you!
Mandy: Is there a place online that will tell me what I need and the costs?
Lady: Well, you just need your documents and a check!
Mandy: Oh ok, Am I overthinking this?
Lady: Yes ma'am you are!
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA :) Ok, thanks have a good day nice lady :)
So off we go, tomorrow, with our documents and a check! sighhhhhhhhhh :)
23 February 2015
The Winding Road of PAPERWORK!
There is a famous flow chart that has circulated around the China adoption community for years now. It is helpful to family and friends as they try and wrap their brain around this process with us, however, it is a tad outdated! So I made a new one to help Jason understand this process a little better! Yes, I know we have been through it two other times, but it is something that I live, sleep, and breathe, AND being the level headed person he is, something he just endures! So I thought I would help him see an eagle eye view of what on earth is happening behind the scenes :) If you want to use this chart, please feel free! I am glad to help you bring some clarity to the fog that may also be happening in your own husbands mind :)
♥Mandy
♥Mandy
20 February 2015
Homestudy done and i800a Delivered!
Well we started our process of paper chasing and homestudy, the moment we locked Max's file! And I am thrilled to say, thanks to our wonderful social work and Jesus, our home study is officially delivered in Texas at the USCIS in a record 18 days! YES 18 days.... Praise the Lord!!!! Running this race holding HIS hand the whole way and stopping at nothing to get there QUICKLY! We love you so much Max, and you don't even know it yet!
07 February 2015
A year of praying, seeking, running, and resting in HIM!
Sooo it seems sometimes, that when you think you are done growing your family, life is doable, you have a plan and a path, GOD puuuuuuuuuts on those breaks and says WAIT! That was us! Living life with our five children. We worship, we homeschool, we Allstate, we photograph, we kick soccer balls, we karate, we co-op, we worship, we do family time, we play, we piano, we violin, we are busy! And that is good!
Now starts the time line of our year..............
February of 2014 we celebrated Chinese New Year! It was an amazing day spent with fellow adoptive mamas, discussing orphans, redemption, and adoption! Sadly, Jason had to stay back and coach Miss JB's last soccer game! Needless to say I left that wonderful day and KNEW I was going back to China! Yes, EYE!!!! I say I, because somehow after a day spent at the park, by myself with 4 kids, watching Chinese dragons dancing, Chinese music playing loudly, Chinese food everywhere - I was the only one that felt that way! Seems Mr. Husband, who experienced none of that thanks to a black and white ball was not on board at all. EXHALE- ok, I was NOT going anywhere! Seems, apparently, I was just full of emotion and probably gassy yes gassy, from the really great Chinese food I ate that day and the circles I ran chasing my little people! So we moved on, WE weren't going anywhere! okay.................................................
Then came March! Through social media, I sadly witnessed the disruption of a child's adoption in China and my heart broke and ached for days! I wept for this child I didn't know, for the countless others that were abandoned, hurting, lonely! I thought surely this was God's kick in our pants to go back! It felt right, the chance to change the life of another child, a child that would go unnoticed and unloved otherwise! I prayed and thought we should rush back, I mean isn't that God's character, allowing you to make haste decisions when your head tells you it is right? Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm NO - that is not God, that is your own crazy coconut, at least that was mine! Of course God said no. He loved that child, who has since been placed in a lovely family! It was not about us! So we lived life!
Poof before I knew it, it was Spring of 2014! The girls were dancing and we were actively grooving to a very full schedule (see I omitted busy, did you see how I did that right there?) ha We were Spring Breakin, beaching, finishing up school, enjoying our biggish kind of family and that was all. Just living life.
Then there was June, July, and August, all of which flew by in the blink of an eye and I barely remember how most of those days even started -it was such a blur! Just living life, 5 kids, and that was enough to keep us active from sun up to sun down!
Now, Fall! And that time brought family time and a trip to North Carolina for our annual "Mandy's side of the family reunion" - I think I just made that title up! I love being with family and our 10 hour car ride gave us lots of time to talk about our future, Jason LOOOOOVES long car rides with me!
8-)))))))))))) That symbol there stands for that really.big.scary.psychotic.smile that I am doing right now as I type that --------------------> yes that kind! 8-) I started feeling like God was saying, its time, do something big, share some love, get out of your comfort zone!!! Except for "Um, God? I am fine in my zone!!!- Is that okay???" I mean, I had started using oils on the feets of my kids (yes feets), that meant they would be calm and tranquil, and my zone was even easier than ever before! 5 kids, that is A LOT of mouths to feed, and they are ALWAYS hungry!!!!! Soooooooooooo our talks, summed up were - Jason admitted that he would always have a heart for children, but wasn't sure if that meant we were supposed to add one more to our family? I agreed that I wasn't jumping two feet in, but I was not sure what God was trying to do with my heart! I was trying to tell Him *my heavenly daddy* that I was fulfilling the role he had laid out for me and most days I was failing at His level of love! But he ignored me! God is so REAL like that, because it is HIS story ya'll! SO what did we do???? We finished our visit with my family and then went on a journey from NC to KENTUCKY - because that is what people do when they run from the LORD GOD! Like a man named Jonah???? Okay, except thank you LORD that you didn't have us swallowed! It went something like this - "Jason I do not know why I am crying (even though I know what God is telling me, but I am going to pretend like I do not) I just don't want to go home yet! I want to have fun and forget we have a house!" So he did what any logical, loving, frightened husband would do- we drove west! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes that was the answer! God was telling us to run away! (no no no he wasn't really, that was our dumb coconuts again, mine, my dumb coconut) But we had an amazing time touring the history that lies in Kentucky and saw the amazing truth at the Creation Museum there too! Lots of fun was had!
When we got home, we got back to our normal routine of church, school, soccer, karate, lessons, and life! It wasn't long before I broke down, realizing that although that gallivant was fun, it wasn't the answer to the matter at hand - which was the Lord's tug at our hearts! We knew that we weren't listening to what the Lord was truly trying to say to us! So Jason encouraged me to call around about potentially domestic adoption! We had looked down this path a few times before and doors closed and crickets chirped, every.single.time! But maybe this was thee time for God to move and open our hearts in a different way! So I spent a week playing phone tag and compiling our story and hearts into 5 minute conversations here and there, with truly no leads or understanding of how it all works! No this can't be it, I was convinced that we are trying to fit a square block into a triangle shaped hole with this avenue! So we stopped and prayed, and lived life again, with a peace!
Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthdays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year
Now we are at a Sunday in January and planning a last minute family trip to Disney the next day! Playing hookie from school and work is my favorite thing to do on a whim! Yes I said whim, even though I already mentioned planning it the day before - that is whimsical with one day notice Y'all!!!!! My sisters will appreciate that!
We had a great day, we had a full day, we were loving, we were laughing, we were starring at an empty seat in the car..... Then we were home, we were still, the kids were in bed, and it hit us.... WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? Our hearts are, and will always be, for the orphans in China, and that is a very needful place to be! Don't call the architect in the morning, he says..... You see the bathroom project was probably another ship we were going to sail on! Except, I can almost guarantee he would have had us swallowed that time! But not a chance! We were given the precious opportunity to review a few files of beautiful little boys waiting for families! I squealed out loud when I saw the face of one of them, his name was "Gabriel" - But that reaction is haste again and I don't think God squeals much, He favors more of the strong, but gentle, intentional, but still. So we were still! We prayed and waited, because another family was reviewing his file! We were also busy researching his needs and how we could meet them! Then came Friday and the file was ours, the decision was ours, the answer that God was cultivating in our hears for a whole year, was finally ready to be born! We said, "YES!" We changed the status of that little boy from orphan to pursued!
YES YES YES! There was peace, joy, and the timing of it all could not have been written any better! A little God wink was that our son's file was prepared two weeks before we accepted the call! God just knew we needed a year of wake up calls to get us there!!!
We can call it busy, over scheduled, messy, forgetful, but each of us are able! We are all able in some way or another! We are certainly most able to STOP and listen, listen to what HE is trying to tell us! Maybe adoption, maybe fostering, maybe more time with your children, maybe simplifying life, maybe adding more to it! Whatever it may be for you, just stop and listen, pray, seek! Don't take any of those proverbial ships! (and stay away from BIG MOUTHED FISH!)
Introducing our son - Maxton Thomas Zhen Aldrich - worth the wait and thankful God was patient with us!
Now starts the time line of our year..............
February of 2014 we celebrated Chinese New Year! It was an amazing day spent with fellow adoptive mamas, discussing orphans, redemption, and adoption! Sadly, Jason had to stay back and coach Miss JB's last soccer game! Needless to say I left that wonderful day and KNEW I was going back to China! Yes, EYE!!!! I say I, because somehow after a day spent at the park, by myself with 4 kids, watching Chinese dragons dancing, Chinese music playing loudly, Chinese food everywhere - I was the only one that felt that way! Seems Mr. Husband, who experienced none of that thanks to a black and white ball was not on board at all. EXHALE- ok, I was NOT going anywhere! Seems, apparently, I was just full of emotion and probably gassy yes gassy, from the really great Chinese food I ate that day and the circles I ran chasing my little people! So we moved on, WE weren't going anywhere! okay.................................................
Then came March! Through social media, I sadly witnessed the disruption of a child's adoption in China and my heart broke and ached for days! I wept for this child I didn't know, for the countless others that were abandoned, hurting, lonely! I thought surely this was God's kick in our pants to go back! It felt right, the chance to change the life of another child, a child that would go unnoticed and unloved otherwise! I prayed and thought we should rush back, I mean isn't that God's character, allowing you to make haste decisions when your head tells you it is right? Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm NO - that is not God, that is your own crazy coconut, at least that was mine! Of course God said no. He loved that child, who has since been placed in a lovely family! It was not about us! So we lived life!
Poof before I knew it, it was Spring of 2014! The girls were dancing and we were actively grooving to a very full schedule (see I omitted busy, did you see how I did that right there?) ha We were Spring Breakin, beaching, finishing up school, enjoying our biggish kind of family and that was all. Just living life.
Then there was June, July, and August, all of which flew by in the blink of an eye and I barely remember how most of those days even started -it was such a blur! Just living life, 5 kids, and that was enough to keep us active from sun up to sun down!
Now, Fall! And that time brought family time and a trip to North Carolina for our annual "Mandy's side of the family reunion" - I think I just made that title up! I love being with family and our 10 hour car ride gave us lots of time to talk about our future, Jason LOOOOOVES long car rides with me!
8-)))))))))))) That symbol there stands for that really.big.scary.psychotic.smile that I am doing right now as I type that --------------------> yes that kind! 8-) I started feeling like God was saying, its time, do something big, share some love, get out of your comfort zone!!! Except for "Um, God? I am fine in my zone!!!- Is that okay???" I mean, I had started using oils on the feets of my kids (yes feets), that meant they would be calm and tranquil, and my zone was even easier than ever before! 5 kids, that is A LOT of mouths to feed, and they are ALWAYS hungry!!!!! Soooooooooooo our talks, summed up were - Jason admitted that he would always have a heart for children, but wasn't sure if that meant we were supposed to add one more to our family? I agreed that I wasn't jumping two feet in, but I was not sure what God was trying to do with my heart! I was trying to tell Him *my heavenly daddy* that I was fulfilling the role he had laid out for me and most days I was failing at His level of love! But he ignored me! God is so REAL like that, because it is HIS story ya'll! SO what did we do???? We finished our visit with my family and then went on a journey from NC to KENTUCKY - because that is what people do when they run from the LORD GOD! Like a man named Jonah???? Okay, except thank you LORD that you didn't have us swallowed! It went something like this - "Jason I do not know why I am crying (even though I know what God is telling me, but I am going to pretend like I do not) I just don't want to go home yet! I want to have fun and forget we have a house!" So he did what any logical, loving, frightened husband would do- we drove west! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes that was the answer! God was telling us to run away! (no no no he wasn't really, that was our dumb coconuts again, mine, my dumb coconut) But we had an amazing time touring the history that lies in Kentucky and saw the amazing truth at the Creation Museum there too! Lots of fun was had!
When we got home, we got back to our normal routine of church, school, soccer, karate, lessons, and life! It wasn't long before I broke down, realizing that although that gallivant was fun, it wasn't the answer to the matter at hand - which was the Lord's tug at our hearts! We knew that we weren't listening to what the Lord was truly trying to say to us! So Jason encouraged me to call around about potentially domestic adoption! We had looked down this path a few times before and doors closed and crickets chirped, every.single.time! But maybe this was thee time for God to move and open our hearts in a different way! So I spent a week playing phone tag and compiling our story and hearts into 5 minute conversations here and there, with truly no leads or understanding of how it all works! No this can't be it, I was convinced that we are trying to fit a square block into a triangle shaped hole with this avenue! So we stopped and prayed, and lived life again, with a peace!
Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthdays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year
Now we are at a Sunday in January and planning a last minute family trip to Disney the next day! Playing hookie from school and work is my favorite thing to do on a whim! Yes I said whim, even though I already mentioned planning it the day before - that is whimsical with one day notice Y'all!!!!! My sisters will appreciate that!
We had a great day, we had a full day, we were loving, we were laughing, we were starring at an empty seat in the car..... Then we were home, we were still, the kids were in bed, and it hit us.... WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? Our hearts are, and will always be, for the orphans in China, and that is a very needful place to be! Don't call the architect in the morning, he says..... You see the bathroom project was probably another ship we were going to sail on! Except, I can almost guarantee he would have had us swallowed that time! But not a chance! We were given the precious opportunity to review a few files of beautiful little boys waiting for families! I squealed out loud when I saw the face of one of them, his name was "Gabriel" - But that reaction is haste again and I don't think God squeals much, He favors more of the strong, but gentle, intentional, but still. So we were still! We prayed and waited, because another family was reviewing his file! We were also busy researching his needs and how we could meet them! Then came Friday and the file was ours, the decision was ours, the answer that God was cultivating in our hears for a whole year, was finally ready to be born! We said, "YES!" We changed the status of that little boy from orphan to pursued!
YES YES YES! There was peace, joy, and the timing of it all could not have been written any better! A little God wink was that our son's file was prepared two weeks before we accepted the call! God just knew we needed a year of wake up calls to get us there!!!
We can call it busy, over scheduled, messy, forgetful, but each of us are able! We are all able in some way or another! We are certainly most able to STOP and listen, listen to what HE is trying to tell us! Maybe adoption, maybe fostering, maybe more time with your children, maybe simplifying life, maybe adding more to it! Whatever it may be for you, just stop and listen, pray, seek! Don't take any of those proverbial ships! (and stay away from BIG MOUTHED FISH!)
Introducing our son - Maxton Thomas Zhen Aldrich - worth the wait and thankful God was patient with us!
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