We are ready and all set to move forward with Shilpa's adoption. We should be finalizing Pala's adoption within the next couple of weeks and can then begin our homestudy phase of Shilpa's adoption. We are selling T-shirts to raise money for our homestudy. We are hoping to sell 100 shirts in 3 weeks! There are 2 different designs to choose from....
Simply Love India is a wonderful design that was created by a fellow adoptive momma and we are blessed to be able to use her beautiful artwork for our adoption fundraiser.
Orders will be taken until Midnight September 1st! We hope that you will help us bring Shilpa one step closer to her family by purchasing one of our T-shirts. When you wear it, we hope that you will wear it proud knowing that you helped to complete our family and know that there will be one more child that is able to be a part of a real family.
Ladies/Girls:
These shirts are a super soft and comfy unisex cut. The front has Simply Love India with pink swirls wrapped by Phillipians 4:6-7 printed on a rich chocolate brown T-shirt. The back is printed with the saying "Love will always find a way". This is NOT a slim fit shirt. It will fit more loose and roomy. Sizes are youth small thru adult XXL. If additional sizes are needed please email me and I will let you know the availability. For all International orders please email me for shipping rates.
Men's/Boy's: These shirts are extra soft and normal fit. They have been known to shrink slightly so keep that in mind when ordering. The front is black and red Simply Love India surrounded by Phillipians 4:6-7 printed on Army green. The back has the saying "Man up. Protect and Love the Fatherless". Sizes are youth small thru adult XXL. If additional sizes are needed please email me and I will let you know the availability. For all International orders please email me for shipping rates.
Ordering is simple. Simply choose the size you would like and click "Add to Cart". This will open up a PayPal window. You may add another shirt by clicking "Continue Shopping" or you may check out at this time.
Orders will be placed September 2nd and you should receive your T-shirts within 2 weeks of that date. Thank you for supporting our adoption!
Yesterday, Colleen and I were able to meet face to face. Here we are with our 7 children! Yes, 7! and trying to get them all to look at "Grandpa" (Colleen's Dad) was not an easy task. Word of advice: Take your group photo at the beginning of your day, not right before you are leaving to go home. :)
Colleen and I have been friends through the adoption community since January 2008 and were finally able to meet thanks to her wonderful choice of vacation destinations! Ha! First thing Shad said was "Who vacations in Western NY?! It's farm country!" There are a lot of wonderful things to see and do here but we are not a tourist attraction! Ha!!! Funny thing is... Colleen and I have a connection that goes way back... further than our adoption connection... her husband and I went to school since Pre-K together! ...and now, our daughters were adopted thru the same agency, same country, same orphanage... very small world!! Every few years she is able to come back to the Rochester area, where she grew up and see old friends. Lucky for me it's only about 2 hours away!
It was so well worth the drive! We started with lunch at Tandoor India Restaurant where the staff knows our names!! Ha!!! Colleen and I were so busy chatting that we forgot to get out our cameras! Go figure!!! Our kids ruled the joint!! :) Then we took the kids to Henrietta Veterans Park to play on the playground for awhile. They all played so well together that it was like we were out for a regular play date! My older boys helped keep an eye on the little ones and Colleen's Mom and Dad were there so it really gave us time to catch up. It really didn't seem like a first time meeting. So many of my blogger friends live so far away... I hope that we will have the chance to meet like Colleen and I have. It was a wonderful day for all of us!
Miss Lia Riyani
Cooper, Pala, Treyton, Lia
Big Brother Treyton helping the girls out
Getting these 2 to sit still was a huge task! :)
Any longer in the swings and I think both girls would've fallen asleep!
You should've seen these girls climbing all over everything at the playground! They were like lil monkeys!! :)
When the Lord opens the door for you, don't close it! Walk through it with faith that He will lead you. That's exactly what we are doing! Are we scared? YES! Are we excited? YES! Are we hesitant? YES! Are we nervous? YES! Are we crazy? Oh, absolutely! But we have faith that our Lord will carry us through it all; the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens! :) This wasn't planned by any means but we are embracing the opportunity to raise and love another child.
Now that I can share a little bit "Angel's" name is really SHILPA. She is the amazing little girl that we met in November during our travels to India to bring Pala home. She is at the same orphanage that my niece, Subha was at down in Kanjirapally, Kerala. We were blessed to spend 3 days down there before traveling to Kolkata to get Pala. If you recall, our trip kept getting delayed over and over... well, we believe now that Shilpa was the reason. We believe that God did what he had to do to put us at her orphanage the time that he did for a reason. Had we traveled with the dates and itinerary that we (I) wanted then Shilpa would not have been there. She arrived about 2 weeks before our visit. Now that we're home with Pala and can reflect on everything... it was perfect! Even with all of the glitches! It will be a few months before I can share my beautiful daughter's picture with all of my blogging friends but trust me when the time comes there will be a ton! :) I have received many wonderful pictures from recent travelers! We are nervous about bringing an older child into our family but are trusting that this is what is meant to be for us! Shilpa is 10 and it will kind of like having triplets!! Ha!!!! Treyton is 9 months olders than her and Cooper is 10 months younger!! It will be crazy around here for awhile once she's home but it'll be a good crazy! I had been keeping in contact with the orphanage director since our trip and getting updates regularly on Shilpa. We weren't even sure an adoption plan was going to be put in place until one day in April when I called the adoption agency that handles the adoptions from SKB and told them that I was getting ready to mail out another package to Shilpa. The caseworker said an adoption plan had been put into place and that the orphanage was applying for international clearance! Shilpa had been talking about us and before they started looking for a family... "are you interested?" What?????? Really????? Now????? Oh, my... that's a lot to take in! I told her I'd have to talk with Shad and get back to her. We called a family meeting and discussed it with the kids. They were all on board. OK... the next thing is how do we pay for this?! We are strapped and still re-cooping from Pala's adoption! We haven't even been home 6 month with her yet. Eeeeeks!!!! This is a lot to think about!! Well, we still haven't figured out the financial end of things yet BUT we do know that with FAITH and HOPE all things are possible. Our Lord lead us to Shilpa and put her in our hearts and He will provide for us in our time of need. We are not fortunate enough to be able to use Dillon as our adoption agency so we have had to build a new relationship with CHSFS so we have been kind of jumping through hoops lately and we are not able to use the same homestudy agency that we did for Pala so we are starting over there but we will make it all work out. So far we in the process we have been approved by the Older Child Committee and are now applying to CHSFS. They do thing a lot different than Dillon but I keep reminding myself that we are working backwards this time. The hard part of this is knowing that Shilpa is 10 and entering a difficult development stage. This is the time she really needs her mom and dad to help her through it. She had been living with her birth father until she was placed at SKB in November of 09. I'm not going to share all of the specifics with you about why she was placed at this time because we feel that since she is older it should be her decision to share her story publicly when she's ready. She knows what family is and I can't wait to share ours with her. I hope you will continue to follow our journey to bringing Shilpa home.
I am happy to announce that we are her forever family!
We received the call last night saying that we can move forward with adopting her. There are still a few formalities to go through but all in all she is the newest member of our family! I wish I could share full pictures with you but the agency we have to go through this time won't allow us to until we actually have guardianship. I will be sure to keep everyone posted throughout the process. So, until then, you can bask in the beauty of her beautiful brown eyes! :)
Please continue to pray for the process, our finances, and the adjustment It will be a long and hard journey but it will be all worth it in the end.
NYS Dillon Day is on the calendar!! It's been very exciting for me to be able to plan this 1st ever event! It is set for August 21st in Binghamton, NY. Come for the weekend or just for the day, it's up to you! The Comfort Suites on Vestal Parkway will have rooms blocked at a special rate for Dillon International families. It's right across from Binghamton University and Chuck E. Cheese is about 1/4 mile up the road!
Friday 7-9 Meet & Greet with Jerry and Denise Dillon Saturday 10-5 Zoo Day at Ross Park Zoo ($4 per person) 3-6 Pizza Party and games at Ross Park ($10 per family) 7-? Minor League Ball game at Municipal Field ($7 per person) Sunday is a free day to explore Binghamton, meet some new friends for lunch or whatever you would like before you venture home! We are hoping to make this an annual event!
There will be time for autographs if you get to the ballpark early and the first 1000 kids under 14 through the gates get a free Webkinz! Also... if you have a Zoo Membership to any other zoo you should be able to get into the Ross Park Zoo for FREE! We get a membership to the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY and Ross Park Zoo is on the reciprocating list (along with many others across the US). Invites will be going out later next week. If you are not in NY or PA and would like an invite please let me know and I would be happy to forward you one.
Gidget had her Embassy Day and all went pretty smooth. They arrived around 9am and were out by 10:30am. The clerk tried telling them that it was going to take 2-3 days to process because they needed another document from CARA but it all worked out. They head home today. They planned on staying at the Hyatt for the day and then heading to the airport around 8pm. I should hear from her when they land in Newark and get through Immigration. By the way... coming in to Newark at 4am is awesome! The only people going through Immigration at that time are the ones coming off your flight! We were through and to our connecting gate in less than 30 minutes. That gave us time to grab coffee at Starbucks, get freshened up and relax before our next flight. No rushing around. :) Hope they have the same experience as we did!
Gidget and Shane arrived in Delhi late early Monday afternoon. Maiya slept the entire flight! They went to Dr. Chawla later in the afternoon for Maiya's medical appointment. Unfortunately she did not have a good experience with him. So, she's NOT recommending him. That's too bad because we loved him. :( Oh, well. All 6 shots that were needed were done in 1 trip to the doc though so it CAN be done. Tuesday is a day of rest for them at the Hyatt. Maiya has had a few crying spurts so they are not planning to venture out. Maybe time at the pool and walking the grounds... nice and relaxing! :) Embassy Day is Wednesday! They are ready to come home to their boys! They are tired and recommend a day of rest in both Kolkata and Delhi. Gidget said not once has she been scared or uneasy. She left all of the negativity back home and went with a fresh mind and she enjoyed her time in Kolkata a whole lot more then Delhi so far. :) We laughed and I asked if she wanted to go back to India with me next spring and her response was "Ha!Ha!... Nope! That's quite alright!" :)
I spoke with Gidget yesterday afternoon and they have Maiya! I was in the middle of my niece's 1st bday party and it was late when we got home so I wasn't able to post last night. :( She said it was a wonderful meeting. They used the same driver that we did, Nayeem, and he was just as wonderful to them as I said he would be. Maiya cried a little when they picked her up but all is going well now. Nayeem took them to the same place he took us and got their Visa pics out of the way. Today is their resting day at the Kenilworth and they fly to New Delhi on Monday. Their plans are flexible for the early part of the week so hopefully they will be able to get some much needed rest. Until I hear more... :)
Just spoke with Gidget and she asked me to give everyone an update. They're in New Delhi right now resting at the Radisson before catching an early morning flight to Kolkata. They are just a few short hours away from meeting their sweet little princess! Gidget's sinuses are acting up but other than that the trip is going well. The first time travelers have survived the first leg of the trip! :) Please pray for them during the remainder of their trip and that Gidget's sinuses clear up so she can get felling better. She's hoping to find some Sudafed at the domestic terminal in the morning. I'll keep you posted when I hear from her again!
When we left off, we were headed to Binghamton University for the NYS Odyssey of the Mind competition. Treyton and his fellow team mates did a fabulous job and placed 4th. It didn't qualify them for the World's competition in Michigan but I am VERY proud of them.
As you recall we had 2 birthdays squished into the hectic OM weekend too! :) Austin 13 and Cooper is 9. Time has certainly flown by. Especially since coming home with Pala. We ended the trip with an afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese. Shad's brother Shane and his crew joined us along with our good friends, the Moreland's.
Pala's Christening ceremony was beautiful. She screamed almost the whole time! :) It was held March 21st. Exactly 4 months from the day we met her at ISRC. I even wore the same tunic that I wore back on November 21 to pick her up. Amongst other things, I am putting together a slide show of all of her Christening pictures. No promises of when that will be done though. :)
Pala enjoyed her first trip to Uncle John's farm where she got to see the goats, cows and donkeys.
Kylie and Austin decided to go for a ride! No worries there... they are cousins!
Easter morning came before we knew it! It was a whirlwind of commotion!! Easter is our day to host our family gathering and some how we manage to keep it all together. It turned out to be a beautiful day and a wonderful gathering. When it was all said and done, we had about 25 people squeezed into our tiny little house celebrating Jesus! We normally don't have that many but as we got talking to some of our other family members and they mentioned just going home after church service we insisted that they come over. Not to mention we are walking distance from the church. How could they say no?! HA! There will be no excuses next year... unless we aren't here... :)
The boys got right up Easter morning and showed Pala her Easter basket. Normally there is a rule that they have to wait for Shad and I before getting into them so we have the camera ready, ect but this year they were excited for Pala so it was a free for all! :) and... as you can see Miss PEA already had her jammies stripped off by the time she came downstairs.
Blowing kisses outside of church before the egg hunt.
Cooper and my niece Alana with their egg filled baskets. There were over 1000 eggs for the hunt! Right after Easter Pala had about a 2 week bout with pneumonia. She is now back to her normal self and is cutting her final 2 teeth... eye teeth! Fun wow! :)
Pala's first ice cream cone! :) She wore just as much as she ate! I wish I had video taped it! Next time! Baseball has begun so there will be lots of hot dog and ice cream cone eating!
"ANGEL" Update Angel celebrated her 10th birthday yesterday! We had cake and "opened" this little outfit and movie for her. We will be popping it in the mail to her this week. The cake had her name on it and I didn't take the time to photoshop it out of the pic so I can't post it. :( Sorry about that!
Before when I told you all about her, we thought she was 8. Paperwork has arrived at the adoption agency and she is 10. Didn't mean to mislead anyone if you may have been helping to find a home for her. I honestly did not know. It was just my guess. The case worker at the adoption agency contacted us about 2 weeks ago and has discussed Angel's case with us at great length and...
Drum roll please....
We have decided to take a HUGE leap of faith and pursue her adoption! There is a lot of red tape to go through and it could also fall through but we believe strongly that this is the direction we are meant to go. It will be an emotional journey for our family and we would really appreciate your prayers. We have no idea how the finances will fall into place but we are trusting in the Lord that if this is His will then He will provide for us. Right now the committee on older child adoption at the agency is reviewing our current homestudy to see if indeed we are a good fit for Angel. Then they will contact the orphanage and the director will talk to her about our family structure. She knows Shad and I and that we were in India to bring Pala home but I'm not sure if she is fully aware that we have 3 boys also. If she wants to join our family then we will move forward. It's important to us for her to be part of the decisions right now. She has to want this too. So, now, we just sit back and wait.... this is really hard for me! No matter what she decides we will still remain in contact with her. God didn't place her in our hearts for nothing! :)
I am also planning a Dillon International Family Weekend in Binghamton NY the 3rd weekend in August. As things progress I will post more. :) Let me know if you may be interested in coming.
