It's been a while since we posted, so an end-of-summer "catch up" post seemed in order!
In adoption news - really nothing to report. We wrote back in June about a
roller-coaster situation that ended up not going anywhere. Nothing like that has happened since then, for better (those scenarios are pretty nerve-wracking and all-consuming!) or worse (at least there's something *happening* and not just radio silence).
We are coming up to some of the annual things we have to do to keep our home study current, in this case for Dan and me to get our annual physicals. It's kind of a nice reminder for something we ought to do anyway - but generally these "landmarks" make us realize how much time has passed since we started the process (home study was
started last summer for baby #2), which can feel discouraging.
Our home study agency recently partnered with an organization called
Parentfinder, which assists hopeful adoptive parents in creating high-quality online profiles ("flip books" you read online, plus hard copies), videos, and other materials that are then shared broadly both through their own platform and a few other sites that target folks considering adoption. We attended a webinar on what Parentfinder has to offer and decided to sign up. It costs more money (naturally) and will take some time, but we think that it could make us more "visible" to expectant parents considering adoption, and help us present ourselves in a more three-dimensional way - as realistic as you can get in a digital format, anyway! So that's something we're going to be working on in the Fall.
Other than that, one neat thing that has happened recently is that we've been able to share our knowledge of adoption with some folks as part of a ministry starting at a local parish. This included talking for over an hour one night with a couple just starting their adoption journey, and also sharing resources that have helped us along the way (books, information, etc.). It always feels great to give back, on a topic we care about so much!
In regular life news - here are some snapshots of the fun we've been having this summer! Dan has had some time off here and there so we've been able to travel a bit and explore. And now Zelie is old enough to do a few more things and also really enjoy summer play, especially involving water.
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| Celebrating Father's Day with homemade cinnamon buns and bacon YUM |
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| Day trip to the countryside/water in MD, after a yummy seafood dinner, on the Susquehanna river |
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| throwing rocks in water - a fav pastime this summer; here in Charlottesville VA |
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| Two day trip to NYC; with Lady Liberty |
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| Our garden! We're growing tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, squash and more |
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| Zelie went to a three-day nature camp, where among other things she made a cotton ball polar bear |
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| Zelie's first trip to an amusement park - Dutch Wonderland - looks like she likes it ;) |
Thanks for reading, and please keep praying for us!
