Happy Birthday!

Today is Isabella's 1st birthday. We picked her out a blanket (ooshie, we call them) to sleep with when she comes home. We took some pictures so that even though we weren't all together, we will have a memory and she will have a first birthday photo to look back on. Next year we can blow out the candles together!

The Paper Chase Is On!

Who knew papers could be so hard to round up? "Dossier" is starting to sound more like, "Do-as-we-say" and is encompassing verifications of things in our life that I'm not sure WE even knew about! I at least have a checklist from the agency to work with, and since I love checking off lists, this process, while rather lengthy, is not without some satisfaction. Marriage License & Birth Certificates--Check. State Police clearance & fingerprints--Check. Certificate of Financial Statement & Employment--Check. Reference letters requested--Check. Application letter and family pics--Check. New passports applied for--Check. Now we are just waiting on Child Abuse clearances from Texas and Oklahoma and we will have everything we need to complete our homestudy. Once we have the homestudy, we can apply for permission from Immigration to adopt a foreign orphan, as well as apply for various adoption grants and loans. Your prayers for speedy processing and an abundance of patience on my behalf are greatly appreciated. Thanks for your support of our growing family! ~Sarah

Poinsettias with Purpose

For all my Arkansas friends, we will be selling poinsettias during the next month as an adoption fundraiser. If you would like to have an order form for taking orders at churches, schools, dr./dentist offices, civic groups, etc. let me know and I'll get you set up with more details. Also, if you want to buy a few for yourself, just let us know and we'll gladly take your order or you can order through our farm website at www.turtlerockfarms.com The poinsettias will be $12 each (discounts for orders of 25 or more) and come in red, white, or pink varieties. We will be selling them through November 2nd and plan to deliver the plants the week after Thanksgiving. We so appreciate everyone pitching in to help us bring Isabella home!