Just lay that anywhere

Last night Chloe decided that the hall makes a much better bed than her bed. I walked out of the living room to check on the girls and this is what I found.

Maybe she was missing her old, hard asian mattress in Thailand and was tired of the soft, comfy ones here in the states.

She's walking

Can you believe it? I know it seems a little far-fetched that at 7 mos old, Ava would have already begun walking. (And don't get me wrong she isn't taking long walks around the block by herself or anything). But... she took her first steps this week all by herself. Wobbly steps but steps none the less. She is the 7 mos walking wonder. I'll try to get some pics later.

Walking Papers

Well, we just received word from our company that we have official approval to return overseas. Now all that is left to do is one more conference complete with a fancy sending ceremony and our visa.

The visa is coming along with just a few little snags. We have had to set up a power of attorney to get Ava's birth certificate authenticated. (which then has to go back to Bangkok.) And the State of OKlahoma has been a little difficult to work with in getting our criminal record sealed by the secretary of state. In case you are wondering, Jeff nor I have a criminal record which is part of the problem. Basically, our woes go something like this:

I printed off the request for criminal record form from the Oklahoma state bureau of investigation website. They returned the form because it wasn't the correct form. I completed and faxed the form that they sent me and it once again was returned because they no longer accept faxed copies. I MAILED the form and they finally sent me a piece of paper that stated "there is no criminal record found for the person matching that name or description." Whew, I was afraid there may have been. :)

So, I think that the hard part is over. Next, we drive to the secretary of the state of Oklahoma's office located in the capital building in OKC (about a 2-hour drive) to get the form put in an official state envelope and sealed so that the Taiwan government knows that it is official. They cannot seal it because the form is not notarized. I must have the OSBI notarize the form. Fortunately, we weren't too far away from the OSBI office so we make a quick jog over to their office (two kids in tow). The lady behind the bullet proof glass window tells me that they can't notarize the document but they can provide a letter of certification that is notarized. I say "ok, give me one of those." She points me to the next window. I ask the second lady behind the second bullet-proof glass window to give me one of those certified letter things and she says she can't because it has to be done on the same day that the original criminal record was pulled.

At this point the lady in the lobby laughs and reveals three black teeth in her entire head. She mumbles something about how they should have told us this before and how *****ed up the government is. To which another rather large lady with a couple of gold teeth responds with something sarcastic about how we want these people to run our healthcare system. No comment.

Anyways, we fill out the forms again, ask them for the certified letter thing and to please notarize the letter as well just to be safe. Paid them our $30 again and I left to wait with the girls in the car. Jeff exits the building 15minutes later and we have our certified letter that states we have no criminal record. By the time we finished all this it was too late to return to the Secretary of State office. So, we will try getting it sealed once more before sending it to the Taiwan government to authenticate it and return it back to us so that we can apply for our visa sometime in the next 10 years.

However, we do feel very fortunate to be at this point in the process of our return. Due to economic constraints, many people who would like to go overseas are unable to do so. We have had a very easy time getting approved and funding to return. We are so thankful to our Father who has watched us each step and opened many impossible doors.

Bubble Baths

Ava is almost 7 mos. old and is now able to do a few things with Chloe (supervised, of course). One of her favorites is pool time and bubble bath. Two weeks ago we were able to move into a house that our company provides for people in the states. It's really nice with a big fenced backyard that the girls love to play in. Grandma bought the girls a small blow-up swimming pool and they spend loads of time splashing each other.

The house also has a piano. I have been practicing again for the first time in 15 years. (The only music I could find was an old baptist hymnal. I have become quite proficient at "Amazing Grace", "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Be Thou My Vision") It's fun to actually play something again. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed it when I was younger.

Our time is rapidly winding down in the states and we are trying to purchase all the things we think we will need for our new home as well as for ourselves. Top on the list for me is jeans. I spent 5 hours today looking for a pair of jeans that didn't say "skinny" or "boyfriend" on the tag. Regardless of the brand and style, every pair said "these jeans will make your legs look thinner and your stomach flatter and you will be happy every day for the rest of your life." BUT... every pair I tried on just made me look too young or too old. I can't pull of the matchstick frame you need for skinny jeans and I am tired of squeezing my thighs into bootcut jeans that just fall off my waist. I did find one pair that I liked but for the low, bargain price of $136 I passed.