A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Yesterday, Allen got a call from Eunita (our immigration case worker). She was calling to notify us of the provisional approval of the Form I-800. Yeah! One more hoop that we have jumped through. The US Department of State must now grant final approval of the I-800. We don't really know how long this step might take, but we are moving in the right direction. Our understanding is that once the state department approves our I-800, they will send a cable to the embassy in Manila indicating approval. Then things SHOULD really start moving as the kids travel to Manila for medical exams and visa interviews... At that point, it would PROBABLY be a matter of weeks. Of course, all of this is surrounded by a big question mark. We need to keep praying that we don't get hung up somewhere else in the process. For now, for today, we have jumped another hurdle and we are grateful for any movement at all.

BOSTON TEA PARTY

The Children's Shelter of Cebu has their own school. It is just a quick walk down the road from the shelter. All of our kids are currently being educated there. When children learn that they will be adopted into a US family, they begin American Studies. They study literature and history and many things that would be pertinent to our country. (Rodrigo was learning about American money the other day!) Here is a picture of a few kids acting out the Boston Tea Party. Roselyn is in the back of the boat on the right. It's pretty cute, I think. Last Sunday night we asked Romeo what he was studying this week. He had a blank look on his face, shrugged his shoulders and looked up at his teacher. "What are we studying, Teacher Tammy???" It made us laugh...and know for sure that he is a pretty typical 11-year-old. The answer (by the way) was - Abraham Lincoln. This is really no different than asking me what I had for dinner yesterday. I can usually remember...but only after a few minutes of thinking really hard!
You gotta love the kid though. He had a big smile on his face throughout the entire conversation...and from all reports, seems to be really trying in school. He gets an A+ for attitude.

Here is a picture Roselyn playing Foosball with some kids. She is the one with the blue striped shirt. And, oh...by the way...the little boy next to her sticking his tongue out?? Yep, that's Rodrigo! That's my son!

NIGHT VISITORS

I woke up to a scurry of footsteps this morning. Something had happened during the night and by the reaction of Lindsay and Allen, I couldn't tell if it was good or bad. As I turned the corner to the entry way of our house, I saw them staring out the window with a look of disbelief. Well, I looked out the window and there was WHITE everywhere. No... it was (thankfully) not snow...yet. It was toilet paper. Lots of it. We had night visitors...and I don't think it was just one or two. Our front yard was hit pretty hard. They did a beautiful job on our front yard and porch (including our door handle). The disturbing part of this is that we had our windows open last night and our room faces the front of the house. Our guard dog Bernie, didn't hear a thing (and obviously neither did we!). We also have motion detectors which usually scare unsuspecting criminals away. It kind of creeps me out to think that some teenage boys (I'm pretty sure they were boys) were running around our yard last night wreaking havoc on our lawn and we didn't have a clue! It makes me believe that these people were professionals and knew EXACTLY what they were doing.

The trees were tee-peed. There were words written in the grass, forks in the lawn, rubber bands all over the driveway. Our cars were wrapped with cellophane and there was Vaseline on the door handles. Actually, to be quite honest, it was kind of pretty and reminded me of the first snowfall. The good news in all of this is that we came away with 9 partial rolls of TP and lots of rubber bands (which I will definitely use)! It took a little effort to clean up the mess, but we appreciated how thoughtful the culprits were for using high-quality TP. We found enough clues to help us to solve this mystery, but given the magnitude of this offense, retaliation will be highly discouraged.

NEW GLASSES

Allen has been thinking that it is time to update his glasses. I think that he looks fine, but everyone needs a change once in a while, right? He brought home some glasses this week to see if I could help him decide on a new pair. I am happy to help with these sorts of decisions, but I can never decide which one is best! I usually like them all! You want a change, maybe something a little more updated...but not too trendy as to stick out. So...Allen proceeded to try each pair on for me. The first time through, I got a brief overview of all three pairs. I made no comments. The second time around, he put each pair on, looked at me straight on, then turned his head slowly from side to side so I could get a good look. When he finished, I asked him to do it yet a third time. When he got to Pair #2, I said, "EEEWW! I know for sure that I do NOT like those! You can definitely eliminate them from the mix." He put them aside and tried Pair #3 again. I just couldn't decide between Pair #1 and Pair #3 so I told him that they both looked great! Problem solved. Or wait, maybe not.

Allen had a sick look on his face that I just couldn't figure out. I looked at him and asked..."What?!" With a slight smile he picked up Pair #2 and responded..."Mary, this pair, Pair #2 are my old glasses!! I have worn these glasses EVERY day for the last year!!" We both started to crack up. I felt sort of bad, but all I could do was laugh. Allen wasn't quite sure what to think!

I'd like to believe that I am a person who pays attention to detail, but really, I am pretty clueless when it comes to certain things. Evidently, I haven't been looking... REALLY looking at my husband for the last year. Either that, or maybe I HAVE been looking right past the glasses on his face to his heart. There. That is a good explanation, don't you think? Whatever the case, it seems as if it is indeed time for Allen to get a new pair of glasses. If you happen to see Allen in the next few weeks, ask him if he recently got new glasses. And please...tell him how good they look.

FISH BOWL

I stopped at the bank today. The lady asked me if Allen was doing better after his illness last winter. She is one of Allen's patients and I guess hasn't been to see him for a while. Of course, I said he was fine and I decided to tell her about the adoption. She was very interested and excited to hear our news. Allen had the dengue fever last January and people STILL ask me if he has recovered. (Last they heard, he was in the hospital on his death bed!! :) I think it is very sweet when people ask and it makes me glad that I live in a small town.

When we moved to Cambridge, someone referred to life in this community as a FISH BOWL. This town is small enough that...as you become involved and build relationships, there is a lot of overlap in who you see and what connections you make. The people you work with...are the same people you sit next to at your daughter's swim meet... are the same people you see in the grocery store... are the same people you go to church with... are the same people that you live next to. Unfortunately, there are times when there are disagreements and uncomfortable encounters. People talk and talk and talk... That is NOT so good. Usually, sooner or later, what comes around, goes around and it is hurtful. In spite of this, I think that living in a FISH BOWL is good because you can't hide. You can bet that that person who drives you most crazy will sit at the table next to you at Perkins or be on the same school committee...or (heaven forbid!!) that their son is dating your daughter!! Then what?? You can either choose to ignore them or do your best to get along. Avoiding them is SOOO much easier (and believe me, I've been down that road!). Life is so much better when we are forced to settle our differences and be accountable in our relationships. It is hard, but so healthy for us. Living in a FISH BOWL is good for me. It is a never-ending journey and I think that I am only now starting to get it.

On the other side of the FISH BOWL...there is nothing better than living in a small community when things go wrong. As we (and many others) have faced a crisis, people always rally around to do whatever they can to help. Maybe it's a meal, or a phone call, or simply a kind word. Maybe it's the lady at the bank who simply asked about my husband today. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot to me. It is called the FISH BOWL effect and I think I like it. I think I'll stay right where I am and keep growing in my little FISH BOWL.

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

I have a picture frame on my night stand that says MOTHERS AND DAUGHERS. I've had it for several years. It is rather outdated, but I don't really care because it means something to me. I just like looking at the picture. I try to update this picture every once in a while. When all three of the girls were living at home, the picture changed a few times a year. Now it changes only once or twice a year. It's not really because we never see each other...I just forget to take one when we ARE together. I MADE the girls take a picture with me before Kristin left on Sunday. Of course, they were very compliant... :). I know that in a few months, I will need to take an updated picture with Roselyn! I look forward to when I can go to bed at night and stare at my NEW picture with all FOUR of my daughters. HEY! Maybe I need to get another one that says MOTHERS AND SONS...or MOTHERS AND SONS AND DAUGHTERS... or MOTHERS AND CHILDREN...or FATHERS AND SONS (for Allen, of course) ...or OUR CHILDREN...or FAMILY...?? Hmmm. I'll have to think about that. Oh well, tonight as I settle in for sleep, I will pick up my MOTHERS and DAUGHTERS picture frame, look at this picture and know that I am truly blessed.

THE NEXT STEP

This morning I made a call to our adoption counselor (Jill) to see what the next step in our adoption process will be. The next step would be to send our paperwork to the Philippines and wait for their government to grant us custody of the children. Well, that step has already been done...several months ago as a matter of fact. We do have legal custody of the children. The problem is, the dates on the documents granting us custody precede the date when immigration services implemented the new procedure here in the U.S. We don't know if immigration will accept the "custody documents" that we have or will ask us to repeat this step in order to get new documents with new dates. This would mean sending the paperwork to the Philippines (again) and waiting for them to review our case (again)... Either way, it takes time. Jill said to check back in a week to see how things are progressing. (A WEEK!??) She went ahead and sent the current documents to immigration in hopes that they will accept them as is. Of course, we covet your prayers in this matter.

On a brighter note, we talked to our kids last night! They sounded really good... but anxious to come! Roselyn asked a lot of questions about school and her schedule. I think the thought of entering a large American public school is very frightening to her. I don't blame her one bit. She also asked a lot of questions about our church and the youth group. All I can say about the boys is that they just sounded so cute!

That's the update for today. I'll keep you posted.