What's Up with the Adoption?

When we started the aodption process again this time I thought by now we'd have a referral and might be possibly hoping to travel in the next few months. However, things don't always go as we plan or as we hope either.

Paperwork is taking a lot longer than we anticipated. The actual Homestudy process took almost 6 months just to complete. This document is the crucial piece to the big puzzle. There are many things that simply CAN'T be done until the homestudy is complete. We received our final, approved copy on May 20. I got it turned around to Immigration and now we are awaiting THE LAST PIECE of PAPER that we will need to get our paperwork packet to CHINA.
It's a long road with many stamps, seals, approvals and fed-ex packages.
But we're in the homestretch and anticipate that LAST PIECE of PAPER within the next 10 days.
THEN

Once the paperwork packet (dossier) gets to CHINA we will wait for a referral match. Once we are matched we will likely travel SIX (Long,excruiating) months later. So if you want a best case/worst case scenario. Best case is that we might be traveling in March....worst case...any month after March. (Let's pray for sooner rather than later) It would just depend on when we could get matched with a baby girl.

Still, we are excited, anxiously waiting, and trying to get our paperwork turned around as quick as humanly(and fed-exly) possible.

We appreciate your prayers, especially for our newest addition. Because it's highly likely she is already born and living somewhere in CHINA.

Cake Bakers

For at least a year the older kids have been wanting to try to make Fondant! So our second day of summer vacation we got caught up on our missed episodes of Cake Boss! and here came the "wanting to make fondant discussion" again.

Frankly, I've been a little scared of even trying it....I've heard it's really hard to make. But Kaylee got on the internet and checked out several recipes. We finally decided on one and went for it. (by went for it ...I mean the next day and after going to 4 grocery stores for the ingredients) Did you know that most major chains don't sell edible glycerin?
Yeah neither did I, but they don't. I finally substituted something else in the recipe for glycerin, crossed my fingers and hoped it worked.

and much to my (shock, awe, amazement) IT WORKED!

Mia took more of a supervisory role.

Everyone enjoyed sculpting, modeling and forming the fondant. It kind of reminds me of edible play-doh.

I think even Buddy Valestro would be proud of Trent.....he was attempting a bow

And voila....Our final creation. A pink and white polka dot cake

Time to EAT up!

Even clowns show up when it's time to devour cake.

What a fun way to spend the afternoon, and since it took so long we ran into dinner time. We had a kind of big lunch so we had cake and milk for dinner ( I know mom of the year here) But we rarely do that kind of thing and after the powdered sugar fight it seemed like a FUN thing to do...

the powdered sugar fight on the other hand....I maybe should have thought that one through....my floor is still sticky ( and I've mopped it twice)

But as Buddy would say....." At the end of the day, seeing their faces is why we do this"
AND
"That's How we do it...Hoboken Style...BABY!"