What cute kids

Only a few more weeks and I am crossing my fingers that our trip will not be delayed or moved with the flu stuff going around.Well I cannot wait to get there and give each of you a  big hug. I want to thank my sister-in law for making this picture for me I love looking at it everyday. These two have the sweetest spirits.I believe all the kids at the orphanage have the sweetest spirits and are very strong individuals. well only a few more weeks.

I know he loves me

I was just thinking about our anniversary trip last year. I know my honey loves me because he goes on my wild trips across the country when he hates to travel. This was our adventure to Cozumel, I thought I would be a nice wife and take him deep sea fishing. Well he was fine on the boat ride out to the ocean and he was Lucky enough to catch a barracuda and after about 20 minutes out the ocean got a little rough due to the hurricanes and poor Dave went white as a ghost. He went to puke over board and knocked his head into a steel pipe and when he turned around his head was bleeding bad. poor honey!! well I know you love me because you are so willing to go on my crazy adventures and support me. I love you so much and I love that you work so hard for us. Thank you very much!!!

What does TEAM mean?

Together Everyone Achieves More!! We as a group of adoptive parents have achieved alot for our little orphanage and I just wanted to say how I am so thankful for everyones  effort. because of this I feel a Little bit better knowing on this next trip we are going to take some great supplies that will help each of our little children to feel better with a little bit fuller stomach and maybe a little  bit healthier until we can visit next fall. So I hope you all feel good because as a whole group we have done alot, I know we will feel better when they are home in there beds,but until then we can feel good about the blessings we are giving the children in the orphanage and all those that are their taking care of our little ones. so lets continue on the road and keep working  hard at getting the orphanage well stocked with supplies and much needed medicine. I fell very blessed to know you as friends.

Just letting everyone know

 Unfortunately, the weather for this weekend doesn't look like it's going to cooperate," said Todd of the "Todd and Erin Morning Show.we realize this is Memorial Weekend.  We're optimistically thinking that with an additional month of promotion, there will be even more people to join us!  This is sort-of good new.It gives use more time to price and sort stuff.

Plus think how much more stuff we can gather up to raise some much needed money for our little orphanage. If you need anywhere to store your yard sale stuff until then give me a call or email me. Thanks for all your guys help on this Adventure!!

Just missing you guys

Just really missing you guys today. It is probably because I have been going through the donations for the yard sale and seeing all these cute little kids clothes and thinking how cute you guys would look in them. well it is just a few more weeks and i can hold each of you and give you a ton of love before we have to fly home. we pray that you guys are doing fine and eating as well as you can. see ya in a few weeks.

YARD SALE THIS SATURDAY

Todd's Yard Sale

Todd's Yard Sale!

It's the Largest Annual Yard Sale Event in Utah!! FREE to the public!! Todd's Yard Sale returns to the E-Center on Saturday, April 25th! The sale is open to the public from 8:30-1:30. Todd's Yard Sale is brought to you in part by Macey's, Your Families Favorite Grocery Store.

A Big Thank You!!

I would like to tell everyone who has helped me with the Yard sale that you guys are such a life saver with all of your advice and volunteering It has made this adventure great. I hope Saturday turns out to be a big success. I believe we have one of the best adoption parenting groups out there. I would like to let everyone know about one of our fellow moms fundraising  efforts. With Mothers day coming up here is a great idea and it will  help our little orphanage.

Great jewelry AND you help the kids. You can help us continue to raise

money towards our goal by:

1) Placing an order at www.liasophia.com/emilym and entering “Hope” as the hostess’s first name and selecting “Hope for Little Angels of Haiti” as the hostess. 30% of each sale will be donated.

2) Booking your own lia sophia show with me. (Emily's contact info is below)

3) Have a friend place an order or book a show.

Emily Mineer 435.251.9214 www.liasophia.com/emilym

Up-Date on Timelines

Here is the most current time lines for the paperwork in Haiti. we pray every day that this process will be shortened but all we can do is work on things for the orphanage so our kids can be taken care of until they can be home with us.


Minister of Foreign Affairs
2-8 weeks
Preparation of file for IBESR
2-8 weeks*
IBESR
3-12 months**
Civil Court
4-8 weeks
Legalization
4-12 weeks
Minister of Interior/MOI
3-6 months+
Immigration/Passport printing
2-8 weeks
USCIS
3 weeks minimum++
Visa Process
1 -2 weeks
Total timeframe
12 – 28 months
*If relinquishment by mayor is required, timeframe may be longer.
**If parents fit the optimum profile (no bio children, married at least 10 years, at least 30 years old), IBESR stay should be approx. 3 months. Deviations from the optimum profile will increase the time required to exit IBESR.
+Current timeframes have been longer than this due to procedural changes within MOI but we foresee them returning to what they were previously.
++Timelines vary widely at this time. Some families are experiencing stays in USCIS of 3 months or more.

Thinking of you guys

Dave and I have birthdays that are two days apart and celebrated them today. It was nice weather so we where able to have a barbecue and all the kids where outside running around and playing. I was thinking how it will be so fun to watch Nerlande and Yonelson playing on the trampoline, swinging and playing on the slide, and most importantly having fun with there cousins. I pray that the Haiti Government can figure out how to get files through the system faster. we have about 53 more days until we will be back in Haiti to love and check on them and spend some family time in Haiti. we are collecting lots of stuff to sell at the yard sale coming up on Saturday. we Hope the sale will turn out good so we are able to get them the needed supplies and know they are taken care of. We love you guys so much stay strong and healthy.

Dinner Time

I can not wait to have our dinner time. Its so fun to watch how each of you have different likes and dislikes,and when you don't like something you pick it out and throw it on  the floor.(which we will work on) I loved getting to know the different foods you have in Haiti.plus I remember the lunch time when Yonelson and Dave where driving back and forth the hot wheel car and it accidental hit a cup and Yonelson gave a big smile.Yonelsons smiles where very rare and few but we did get a couple of them. Hopefully we will get a few more on this trip.

A GREAT DAD AND HUSBAND!!

We are so proud of all that you do for us.
you are all ways working so hard for us and everyone in your company. you all ways look out for those that are in need. you are so smart and wonderful. you are a great role model for our kids. I love how you take care of your family and my family.
I love how when I am sad or down you are my knight and shinning armor.I love how you take time to talk to each of our kids and know what is going on in there life and if they are struggling with anything you help them work it out.I love how you tell them they can be anything they want to be and how you let them learn how they can make a difference in the world.
I love you so much and I am very proud that you are my Husband and a Wonderful dad to our kids!! We love you .....

Our Journey has had lots of bumps in the road

President Hinckley said this...

"Anyone, who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is...Most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most marriages require a high degree of mutual tolerence, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.

Life is like an old-time rail journey, delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

Easter Day

"Through tears and trials, through fears and sorrows, through the heartache and loneliness of losing loved ones, there is assurance that life is everlasting. Our Lord and Savior is the living witness that such is so."

Thomas S. Monson, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives!" Ensign, May 2007, 25
I wish everyone a good Easter and a Day to remember our Savior.

Barbecue,A Haitian Tradition

With spring sort of being here and Summer just right around the corner I have been thinking of Barbecue time. I came up on this very Intersting fact...
The word barbecue comes from the Spanish translation of the native Haitian word barbacoa. It seems that the Spaniards, who arrived just a few years after Columbus landed in North America in 1492, found the Haitian natives roasting animal meat over a raised metal framework. A fire was built underneath, and the flames and smoke would rise and envelop the animal meat, giving it flavor.

Oddly enough, the same framework was used for sleeping because it was a means of protection against animals that might attack in the middle of the night.

The Haitian natives called this device a barbacoa. In typical fashion, the word was corrupted into barbecue, the name by which it is still used today.

We can not wait until Nerlande and Yonelson are home so we can have family Barbecues with them.

Are You Serious!

Whew, I have heard a lot of that phrase lately. Every time I tell someone that we are adopting and how long we expect it to take its like they all have been given a script.

You tell them the answer and they either say "OH",or "wow". But in my heart I am saying it is so worth the wait. I feel very blessed that I have the opportunity to travel to Haiti to visit and learn all about my kids homeland. I feel very blessed to take loads of food & medicine down to the orphanage and make sure my kids and all their friends will be able to have food and medicine until we can go back in a few months to love them. I do wish it was faster but I need to look at it as a great blessing that Maybe there is a great reason it takes awhile, so we as parents can travel there and take care of the orphanage and see what we can do as a strong group to help a country and people that are in despair and needs so much. There is a meaning to every road we travel down in our life. Haiti has a special place in my heart!

Looking Back, Pushing Forward

Just a little video looking back at our first trip to Haiti. We are so excited to go back and cannot wait to see all of you again.

Why I love the computer

We always hear all the bad things that the Internet has done to peoples lives but I have felt the opposite lately. If it was not for the Internet I would not have found our kids in Haiti. I am so thankful for Wasatch adoptions putting up the waiting child list. Plus I am so thankful for the Internet for giving my husband the opportunity to have a great idea and giving us the great blessings that his company has been able to provide our family and friends. If it was not for the Internet I would not be able to keep in touch with all the new Friends that I have found through our Journey of adoption. We are so thankful for the great help that all the family's we have meet through this journey and all there great advice and comfort. Nerlande and Yonelson it is April so only a few more months and we will be with you guys in Haiti and we will be able to make sure your doing well and have lots of fun for a week. We love you guys so much!
P.S. Nichole thank you for taking this picture of Nerlande it is one of our favorites.

Other People Inspire..

The Gordan's penny by the inch she has inspired us. We are starting a Penny Drive at our company and I know we have very generous people who work with us. Our son Kolbie has also been selling candy at his Jr. High for lunch and he has made $45.00 dollars so far which is not bad at all since it is all word of mouth through his friends. We also have penny jars at our house for friends and family to drop their spare change in and my Mother-in-law also has one at her house to.Every penny adds up thanks for the inspiration.