June 28, 2013

Sasha & Grey were helping me get the kids room ready today and Sasha told me today that she couldn’t wait for the beds to get here this coming week so she didn’t have to sleep on the pallet on the floor anymore (keep in mind that I've always tried to get them to sleep on the couch or air mattress and they informed me my house was where they got to sleep on the feather mattress and that wasn't changing).  I told her that she would only be able to sleep on them until the kids came home and then it would be their room but we would figure out a different place for her and Grey to sleep when they were down.  She said, “I can’t wait until they get here, I’ll sleep on an air mattress or pallet when they get here but I can’t wait to play with them.”

Jerry & I went to Lowes tonight to look at new door knobs & dead bolts so we could change to the kind that you can get out without a key in an emergency.  We also looked at some of the child safety items.  We went ahead and got some safety stuff to get started but have to order the door knobs we are looking at getting.  Can't wait to finish child proofing the house so we can do the homestudy and bring them home.

June 27, 2013

My niece (Sasha) & nephew (Grey) are down for a few weeks off & on this summer and have been spending part of the time at our house & part at Mom & Dad's house.  Sasha will be 7 this month & Grey is 4 1/2.  The school Sasha goes to has them do homework during the summer so they don’t forget things before school starts so to help both of them with their counting, we went room by room in the house and counted every electric plug outlet and every light switch.  When Jerry & I looked at this house to buy in January, one of the reasons I liked it was all the plugs, I never realized how many we had until we counted them to get the child safety plugs for them.  There are 124 plate covers (that could have plugs or light switches or phone jacks, etc.).  95 of those are outlets (190 plugs) and about 51 are light switches (the rest are misc. tv, phone, etc.).  That’s a LOT of plugs and switches!!!!  That doesn't even include the plugs & switches on the porches or in/around the garage. 

When Sasha was getting ready to go to sleep tonight she said, “Aunt Anna, will my cousins be shipped here in a box?”  I told her, “no, we would have to drive a long time (the kids we are looking at are in another part of the state) to go pick them up and bring you home in the car”.  She said, “Oh good, a kid wouldn’t like to be shipped in a box, even if you poked holes in it so they could breathe”.   Sometimes I wonder what goes on in little kid's heads...lol.

June 26, 2013

AWESOME meeting.  We filled out our information request application packet and we should get the official application in the mail in 1-2 weeks.  Learned lots about adoption/fostering.  They said that it usually takes 6-9 months before a match is complete and the child(ren) are home with you but that you could do it sooner depending on how fast we worked and got everything done.  Learned everyone that comes to the house 2+ times a month has to have an FBI background check.  Starting that list as well as everything we need to do to each room for the homestudy.   So if all goes as planned according to their timeline, hopefully we will have our kids home sometime between Christmas & Easter if not sooner.

June 15-18, 2013

June 15th, checked on the informational meeting on the TARE site and saw that it had been bumped to June 26th.  Ended up being a blessing in disguise as I was super slammed with work the week of the 19th.

June 18th, went to a meeting with my brother & mom in Houston.  We went to Fry's afterwards.....can I just say, my nerdy side is in LOVE with that store....all the electronic gadgets & gizmos...can't wait to go back.  :-)  Anywho, got our first "shower gifts" from Gia & Pop (My mom & dad).  They bought the smoke detectors & carbon monoxide detectors that we needed to be good for the homestudy.

May 26-June 2, 2013

Started taking the wallpaper border down.  My ankle is not liking me climbing up and down the ladder and I can't stand on the ladder for too long without it starting to cramp up....but slowly getting the border down.

Had an awesome surprise in the mail on June 2nd.  Chris from Ashley Furniture sent us a thank you card...and included a note wishing us luck on the adoption.

May 24, 2013

Did a test run to the library to verify timing & went to Ashley Furniture while we were up there to look at the beds I found on pinterest for the kids room.  Ended up not liking the ones I had picked (not very sturdy) but Jerry picked a cute set of beds & dressers to put in the kids rooms.  The salesman was awesome.  If you ever go to Ashley Furniture in Pearland, ask for Chris Baughman and tell him Anna Turner sent you.  He was awesome and helped us find everything we needed.  Delivery is scheduled for July 4th so gotta get to work on the room getting the border down and getting the paint spot patched if needed before the beds are in the way for me to reach the border at the ceiling.

May 12, 2013

I randomly go to the TARE website (http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Application/TARE/Home.aspx/Default) and look at what kids are available to adopt from CPS.  Today, I clicked on a link for the national adoption waiting child list and stumbled across photos & information for a sibling group.  As soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted them to come home with us.  I saved their profile and showed them to Jerry the next day (he was already in bed and had to get up early for work the next day).


<edited to add>
Jerry saw them and told me to find out how to bring "our kids" home.  So began the process of getting information on what we had to do and what meetings, etc. had to be done.  Closest meeting is at Pearland Library (about 45 min.-hour away) on June 19.

2013 Catch Up

It's been a while since I've posted on here and since we have restarted the process, decided I needed to do a quick recap to bring y'all forward from the last post in 2007.

V7 Photos (facebook.com/v7photos.com) is doing great.  We've been in business since April 2007 (6 years this year....wohoo!!!!!).

I've been working in the Church nursery since 2006 (returned in 2007).  I'm also the Children's Church Director.  I've taken a mini "break" from both since the beginning of May to catch back up with my life and get things back on track.

Sometime in 2008/2009, the adoption plans got put on hold and Russia closed it's doors to adoption by US citizens at some point in time since then.

Mid 2009, I started doing the Church's website & helping my mom set up new software and get the Church's books straightened up.

Feb. 11, 2010, I started working part time as the Church Administrator & Treasurer at First United Methodist Church of Sweeny.

Aug. 1, 2012, I told Jerry my last time to even "try" to get pregnant was before I turned 35...well guess what....2012 marked 35 years...ugh, I'm getting old.  Needless to say, he talked me into "trying" for one more year.

Feb. 14, 2013, I got the bestest Valentines day gift ever!!!!  Instead of a dozen roses, Jerry bought me a dozen+ rose bushes, in a rose garden, in the front yard of a pretty house.  Yes, we got a new house & moved on 2/23.  Well, I say moved, February is the beginning of Senior season at the studio (super super busy) plus I sprained my ankle at the end of January and was on crutches.  But now that Summer is here, I'm gonna get finished moving.

April 29, 2013, I quit my job as Church Admin.
May, 2013, I quit my job as Treasurer.