Your dossier has been sent to your country -- Congratulations!
This is the message I received this morning! Our dossier is on its way today! It arrived in Michigan last week Wednesday afternoon, but the offices were closed Thursday-Sunday for July 4th. This morning it was reviewed and got the go-ahead to be sent! They send a weekly shipment to Uganda on Mondays, so we got in just in time! Yeah!
Now we will just be busy continuing grant applications, as well as 10 additional hours of training on things specific to our country or things potentially relevant to our child or her experiences.
I am planning on going to a Karyn Purvis training at our agency branch tonight which will focus on "Empowering, Connecting and Correcting Principles."
Here's a short description: In this nearly two-hour presentation, Dr. Purvis, a developmental psychologist, explains her research-based approach with children who come from what she calls “hard places.” These are children who have been exposed to drugs and alcohol in utero or suffered abuse, trauma or neglect early in life. She explains how harm during these critical stages of brain growth causes significant disruptions in a child’s development and behaviors and offers strategies to overcome these deficits. Through research and years of experience with children throughout the world, Dr. Purvis offers a path of healing through a trust-based, relationship-based holistic approach. She explains the principles and tactics for reconnecting with these children to meet their needs and help them reach their highest potential.
Since Travis is out of town at a staff retreat, I have hired our first official babysitter to come watch the boys. Hopefully all goes well!
Since my sister-in-law also works with Travis, I will be watching her kids while my brother works today and tomorrow. Cousin camp is in full swing! So far we have done make-overs including hair and nails (Ayin even insisted on some blue, superhero toenail polish...sorry Travis), play dough time, and will be making our own water park in the back yard this afternoon! I am not getting anything done, but having fun! Thankfully my nephew is helping by mowing the lawn and pulling weeds from the garden...all for payment of course. We had to bargain on the per/weed payment amount. Noah said 5 cents/weed, I said 1 cent....so we agreed on 2 cents. He quit after 100 weeds...thankfully. :)
Good practice for doing hair!
Play dough time! Notice the common kitchen items used for the play dough....they don't seem to mind!
And I just realized that Jhett is probably eating some of his...
