How do you choose?

I haven't had an update in a while on the adoption process. Sorry about that.

This past Tuesday we had our fourth and final visit with the adoption specialist. That means that she can now work on completing her home study report. We should have that in 3 weeks or so. Once that is complete we can move forward with the Immigration paperwork. It also allows us to apply for grants/loans and some of the financial aid that might be out there for us. Getting the home study complete is also a milestone and passing milestones provides the feeling of progress.

Our next set of tasks are compiling all of the dossier paperwork. This is the paperwork that goes to Haiti and starts the formal process there. This is were it gets fun. We get to go back to the doctor. We get to see a licensed shrink so he/she can report that we are not insane. We get to gather formal birth and marriage certificates. We get to talk to our bank. And we also get to gather a bunch of photos. Sounds like we will be on the grid in both the US and in Haiti now.

The other neat part of all of this is some of the documents need to be notarized, some need to certified by the state of Indiana and other have to be translated into French. Yeah, there is a little sarcasm in those last comments. While I am frustrated by some of the process, I know deep down that this is what God wants for us and something that needs to happen. Keep the eye on the prize right?

To the title of this post. When we meet with the agency on Tuesday, they informed us that they were working with a second creche (orphanage) in Haiti. On the surface this sounds great right? Two orphanages, more options for potential children to be matched with.

Well, we had to pick one of the two orphanages to work with. For some reason, this weighed heavy on my heart. I had the feeling that we would choose incorrectly. We'd pick the wrong orphanage and the child that was supposed to be with us would reside in the other orphanage.

We found out today that we DON'T have to choose after all. The new orphanage let the adoption agency that they are not interested in working with us because of our biological kids. Because we have Katie and Eli, there is an extra step that our application/process needs to go through with the Haitian government.

I am relived that we don't have to pick an orphanage. At the same time, I need to be prepared to have my big boy pants on because I am sure this won't be the last tough decision we will need to make.

June Garden Update

The garden is really coming along nicely. Tons and tons of lettuce. The leaf lettuce has come in and is a nice contrast to the volume of Romaine that we have. I recently added jalapeno peppers to go along with the green bell and cascabel. I also added a roma tomato plant. The trellis is new since the last post and as you can see the snap peas have grown up nicely.

Peas, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower.

Leah (my sister) and I were talking recently and she reminded me of being able to pick peas fresh from Grandpa Manbeck's garden and eat them on the spot. Eli and I sample one of the peas last night and with the help of that conversation, the flavors and experience brought back a rush of memories.

We've been able to have an onion and broccoli as well. There was also one lone grape tomato that Eli said was yummy. All delicious. Can't wait for the carrots to be ready to harvest and the cucumbers to start climbing the trellis.

Beans, peppers, tomatoes and herbs.

Mid-May Garden Update

The garden is really humming along. Eli and I did have one mishap from planting too early. We lost the first tomato plant we added too frost. I just couldn't help myself and planted too early.

We have harvested some romaine lettuce. Used it in a salad and also on Tuesday for Taco night.

The newest and maybe most fun edition is a pepper plant from my friend Needham. Needham works with my and lives in North Carolina. He is in Bloomington, IN this week helping IU with a project for work. There is a pepper lady in Bloomington and Needham is a hug pepper fan. So he bought some peppers for himself and picked up a Cascabel pepper for me. When harvested I am going to dry and then grind these peppers and use them in chili and similar dishes.

Happy Cascabel Pepper.

Here are some photos of how the rest of the garden is going. From bottom left, we just planted cucumber seeds. Then there are peas (Eli and I need to create a trellis). There is broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, then spinach, lettuce, romaine, onions, then some carrots, more lettuce and a broccoli.

The other box is not quite as full yet. Starting at the bottom left we have a grape tomato plant, the cascabel, then some beans we planted as seeds and a bean plant Eli grew in school, and finally a regular tomato.

2nd Home Study Meeting is in the books

We continue to make progress in the Home Study process. On Monday, Leslie and I meet at the BCS offices with the Adoption Specialist. We each meet with her individually as well together as a couple. In this meeting we focused on our childhood, how we were raised, what we remember about growing up. All in all an interesting exercise. You don't spend a lot of time thinking about these kinds of questions.

So what are the next steps? Well, we have our 3rd of 4 meetings scheduled for 6/2 at the house. This one will involve the kids. We are starting in on the initial educational requirements. We have an online set of classes that will fulfill 10 of the 30 credit hours we need. We also need to get working on the second set of paperwork. This is for the Dossier. The Dossier is all the paperwork that goes to Haiti.

Keep those prayers coming. For now, we need prayers of patience and perseverance.

Enjoying the "firsts"

So, up until recently, Eli has expressed very little interest in riding his bike. By 6, most kids have mastered this skill. But Eli, he'd rather zip around the neighborhood on a Razor scooter. Well Sunday, peer pressure won out.

He came into the house on Sunday afternoon and asked me to remove the training wheels on his bike. He wasn't alone. There were three other neighborhood kids with him, all wanting to teach him to ride a bike. We got the training wheels off no problem and then came the learning part.

To my amazement, he was riding in on his own in less than 5 minutes. Once I could convince him to let me help him get started, that was all it took. I helped him with his balance and away he went.

Now, you can't get the kid off his bike. He even showed up to meet me in his bike helmet last night when Leslie and Katie went to choir practice. So later that night we took a friend of his and went on a long ride around the neighborhood. And believe me, the kid has little fear on the bike and acts like he has been riding for months.

I've got to say that while there is some sadness that we are working through some if the big kid "firsts" (losing a tooth, riding a bike, etc.), I'm more excited about how both kids are maturing and growing as individuals. It is incredibly heart warming to witness and be a part of.

Which brings me to the thoughts swirling in my head about the adopted child. How old will they be? Have they been born yet? What firsts will we get to be a part of? How many of those firsts will be different than Katie and Eli? Can we get Katie and Eli to be as engaged and excited about all of this as us? Do we really know what we are doing in trying to adopt?

I suppose the length of the process is also designed to help bring some amount of clarity or peace to these swirling questions.

First Meeting scheduled with the Adoption Specialist

Can I get a huge huzzah from the crowd.? Yes indeed folks, Leslie and I are scheduled to meet with our adoption specialist this upcoming Monday. Whew! You can probably feel the satisfied exhale by me from where you are sitting/standing/laying.

I've got to confess, the lack of perceived progress in this journey has been starting to get to me. All we have been doing is filling out mountains and mountains of paperwork. If it isn't a psychological questionnaire, it's a Child Project Services form for all the states we've lived in since we were 18. Oh, and there is the criminal background check from the Westfield PD and that thorough physical workup from our doctors. Good news, we don't have TB! Can I get another huzzah?

I know this will be a long process and I know I have to have patience. I guess I just wanted to feel like things were moving forward. To date, it feels like the wheels have been spinning and gaining no traction. I think I will begin to feel that traction after our first visit on Monday.

When Leslie spoke to the Adoption Specialist yesterday, she got the sense that we'd be done with all our interviews/sessions withing 5-6 weeks. That would be wonderful. Once that is completed, guess what is next? Yep, more paperwork.

If all dogs go to heaven, what about all people

I was part of a very inspiring conversation last Wed with some men from St. Lukes around the topic of "Is there only one way to God"?

With this topic we also got on the subject of how do you get to heaven. I've long been of the belief that everyone gets to heaven. And, yes I mean everyone. Hitler, Pol Pot, the Chinese farmer who lives a good life, but is not exposed to Christianity, you, me, everyone.

I struggle with the concept that someone who doesn't have the opportunity to know Jesus and Christianity, but lives a Christ like life doesn't make it to heaven. So, for me, where do you draw the line? How do you judge who gets in and who doesn't? Now, believe me, I realize that I am probably unable to conceptualize what God has in mind for us, but this is still something I think about and struggle with to some extent.

So, if everyone gets into heaven, why live a good life now? Why not whoop it up and not be burdened by consequences? Now, I am not suggesting something along the lines of Pol Pot, but why not be greedy? Why not do what feels good now and not worry about the consequences to others along the way. Well, I believe one of our purposes in this life is to bring a small slice of heaven to those you come in contact with now.

So circling back the conversation Wed night, someone explained the concept of hell this way. We pass through hell on our way to heaven. During that time, God burns away all the bad parts of us and "cleans" us before our ascension into heaven.

This concept really resonated with me. It provides purpose for our life here and now, and addresses what happens with the "bad" people on their way to heaven. Poor Pol Pot wouldn't have much left when we got together for a game of shuffle board in heaven.

Maybe I am having my cake and eating it too, but I find comfort in the idea that everyone goes to heaven, but you don't get a free pass (making it there in tact) if you are a bad person along the way. An believe, me, I'll be quite a few pounds lighter myself if this ends up being true.