Dossier Preparation

During this last week our home study was approved and finalized by us and our adoption agency which means we are now ready to prepare the rest of our dossier- all of the paperwork that Ukraine needs before they will approve us to adopt.  We were initially very overwhelmed when we saw all of the paperwork we need to collect for our dossier.  Not only is there so much, but everything has to be notarized AND apostilled.  This will mean many little fees adding up quickly and, of course, more waiting time.  Several of these documents are things we already prepared for our home study a couple months ago, but Ukraine requires all documents to be dated within 6 months by the time they receive them, so we are needing to collect all of these documents again to ensure the date stamp will fall within that time frame by the time everything is collected, translated, and received on their end.  We will need to collect all of the documents, have them notarized, and then mail them to the state capital where they will be authenticated with an apostille and mailed back to us.  Our goal is to have everything sent for the apostille by the end of the year, but we know that will take a lot of quick work on our part.  Please be praying this week as we begin to gather as many of these documents as we can- that they will be easy to collect and the mail will be .quick- even though it's the holiday season!  And of course for continued finances, especially as many of these documents require fees that will quickly add up.  

We are excited to share that we have made over $200 from selling Stephanie's hand made gift items at the bazaar last weekend and via word of mouth.  Please continue helping us spread the word during the next month or let us know if you'd like to place an order!  We're also excited to share that we will be having another fundraiser night at the Heights Burgerville on Friday, December 2nd from 4-8pm.  We had a great time and a successful fundraiser there in August so they have generously offered to let us have one again.  We hope many of you will see us there!!  We are so grateful for all of your prayers and support throughout our adoption journey!

Home Study Draft Complete!

We received a copy of our home study draft early this week!  It is currently in the process of being edited and approved by us, our adoption agency, and our home study agency.  We are hoping to have it finalized within the next week.  Once it is finalized, our next steps will include gathering the rest of the paperwork and necessary documents for our dossier, which will then be translated and sent to Ukraine for them to review.

In the midst of all our waiting, we are continuing to work on fundraising ideas and have a great one for those looking for some unique, handmade Christmas gifts!  I am selling reusable produce bags, reusable Swiffer pads, and Christmas baking mixes in a bag.  They make great little gifts for neighbors, hostesses, teachers, and anyone else on your list!  Contact me for more info or to place an order!