It's happening!!!

Done with radiation!!!

It's finally happening! We are finally going to Ukraine!!!
We have a date for our SDA/DAP - the appointment in Kiev where they match us with two particular children.  We've booked flights and made lodging reservations. It's all a little surreal. 
But we are so excited to finally see the kids!!!

In order to protect our family's privacy our blog will not be updated with travel information until we get home. 
If your our friend on Facebook you may ask to join our secret Becoming Twelve Facebook group to follow our journey. We just ask that nothing posted there is shared publicly. 

In other news:

We have another teen driver. Our Lora passed her written exam on her first try. However, driving on the road - not just in the yard, proved more difficult than she expected. But practice makes better. 

We will wrap up our CHANGE DRIVE soon - I will post here about that.

Donations may still be made to our matching grant with Promise686 (which is doing very well), or to ABBA Fund, directly to our agency, or to us. Links and addresses below. 

Facetiming siblings

Promise686 grant 
virtually here 
or via snail mail by noting for the 342Brown Family
Promise686
19 Holcomb Bridge Rd. 
Norcross, GA  30071

ABBA Fund
virtually here
via snail mail by noting for the HEBrown Family
ABBA Fund
PO BOX 868049 
Plano, TX 75086-8049

Our Agency:
Family Connections, Inc.
Note: to the Harold Brown family
P.O. Box 5555
Cortland New York 13045

Our mailing address:
The Brown Family
PO Box 854
Franklin Springs, GA 30639

APPROVAL!!!

Today we received APPROVAL!!!! (happy dance!!!) 

This means that in Ukraine we are "registered as candidates for adoptive parents" - WOOHOO!

This is a HUGE step in the right directions! 

Travel between our two nations is aaaaahhhhh.... possibly opening back up soon.... perhaps VERY soon....


In other news:
We parents had a wonderful anniversary - ALONE! 

Love Birds

And then celebrated our Familversay with a cookout with our brood and some grand-folks.

this is a BAD recreation of my favorite picture
- I still love my little weirdos -

 A majority of us went to visit the Alabama relations and celebrate Baby Erin's First Birthday! She is the sweetest! And a total ham for a camera...

Baby Erin & Aunt Erin

My minions with their GREAT Uncle John

me w/my Aunt Carolyn and my Mama

Continue to pray for Andrii. He was supposed to be done with his radiation treatment but didn't pass all his blood test and had to put off several treatments. Hopefully he will finish soon and get a break. He seems to be in good spirits and messages us often.

Anastasia seems to be doing well and having fun hanging out with her friends. We don't get as many messages from her. Makes them all the more precious!

And I'm wearing myself out doing my own little happy dance over our approval!  

So here's a Happy Dance song so you can celebrate this adoption milestone with us.

Love ya! 

Hitch in my get’a’long

The “powers that be” (aka: SDA, dossier approval people) think that our income on our homestudy doesn’t match our tax records. Cause it doesn’t. Cause “non-taxable income.”

So our precious facilitator is emailing us some forms. And we, quick like a bunny, need to have them printed, signed, notarized, and Apostilled.
We’ve got 20 days, but hopefully this will move MUCH faster!

So just a little hitch in our get’a’long.

Photo credit: bibbity bobbity boo, Pinterest 

When I googled images for “hitch in my get’a’long” this elephant came up.
He’s cute. Bless his heart.
And reminded me that we are determined to eat this “elephant” one bite at a time. And we’re getting closer and closer to finishing it off. 😉
AND to keep reaching!

 “With man this is impossible,

but with God all things are possible.”

~Jesus~

Matthew 19:26

SUBMITTED

Good NEWS!!! 🥳

Just got word our dossier has been submitted to SDA (aka the great Ukrainian powers that be). This is where we get approved or rejected (and if rejected, we alter and resubmit).
Pray for all that - correct paper work, government officials, and our dear facilitator who has “followed” our story since the beginning.

And pray for these grant people to get on the ball and for new opportunities for us to fundraise in the midst of all this shutdown mess!
I feel a little like a scared contestant on the Price is Right, “Come on Big Money!” 🤣

I’ve created some google sheets to help explain the financial bits. If your on a PC they are linked under “Pages” at the bottom right of the home screen. On a mobile device go to the search bar near the top and find them there. And I’m working on Another post about all the money things and I’ll link the sheets there also.