We Are Moving Along the Path To China and Making Plans.

The Before

We are making plans for the girls room this week. The big boys (Aaron and Caleb) prepared the walls and painted the ceiling.   Our daughter-in-Law appointed herself the designer.  She painted the walls herself to make sure they were perfect.  She also has some cute decorations and painted this chest.  You can see the before and the after.  Nice Job Julia!

The After

This week has been busy!  Monday we received our provisional approval of our I-800.  That night, I sent the email to the Nationa Visa Center and received a email back on Tuesday saying the petition was logged into their system.  Today, Thursday, we received the email that it was approved and cabled to Guanzhou.  HooRah!  I emediately forworded it to the Agency and received news it had just been emailed to the agency Rep, also in Guangzhou. So tomorrow, Friday, it will be combined and turned in to the embassy for the final approval.  It will take 2 weeks and the agency rep picks up                   our "Article 5" letter and delivers it to the              
 CCCWA in China who will issue our final travel
 approval. (takes 3-4 weeks)

We now anticipate to leave sometime between August 23 and 30th.  I am hoping to be able to make arrangements 2 weeks in advance so the air fare may be a bit cheaper.  We will go to Chongqing first and pick up Kylie because Bobby is in Guangzhou and we have to end up there anyway.   So this part of the plan is a forsure.  We still do not have a statement from the Chongqing Province as to whether or not they will allow us expidite. (Leave Chongqing early and have the passport overnight curriered to us in Guangzhou) This would cut out stay by three days or so and thus decreasing the cost.  If they will not do that, we will be in China the full 21 days.  

After our trip in 2007, I went back to work and Keith stayed home with the kids.  I had Horrible jet lag, but Keith and the kids did great.  We will repeat this pattern again this trip.  The only differance is that the kids will need to go back to school.  This may give us some challenges.  The new kids will be kept at home for awhile learning english and getting their medical exams.  We have an HMO they pay well but are a bit slow to get the kids into the system.

I am trusting the Lord that he will allow the pieces to fall into place.  All will go smoothly and we will return safely with the kids and our sanity.