Almost Done!!!

Finally, I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! There's only a few items left to mark off of our checklist. I was able to accomplish a lot last week. I found our marriage license, which is a good thing to have any ways, we passed our fire inspection, we got mattress covers for the 2 beds (which is required), and we bought a safe for our gun and a separate lock box for the bullets. The people we chose to be the gaurdians of our children, if something should happen to us, gave us their answer this morning (yes you have to have named gaurdians before you can get your license!). I also made a scaled drawing of our house, made copies, and used highlighters to map out the fire escape plan and tornado safety route and I have them posted in each room of the house. I'm not sure if they have to be posted in each room, but it looks much nicer this way! :) We also had to put locks on the cabinet doors where we have our cleaning supplies. We have been very busy with all of this lately!!

What's left on the checklist you ask? We have our safety audit next Wednesday. You have to show two months of paid utility bills and who ever keeps those? Not this girl! So we have one month of bills to give them, but I have to wait for the September bills to come in. We also have to show proof of residency in Ohio for the past five years for each of us. Again, who keeps their utility bills that long? "Not I" said the wife! I called Verizon and requested one bill from each of the past 5 years be sent to us but only Todd's name is on those. So I called our electric company and they are sending a paper telling what addresses they provided service for us and which dates we had service through them, which has been for a while now. Those will have only my name on them. As soon as that comes in I can check that off the list! We both need to get finger printed and have the doctor fill out a paper for each of us saything that we are physically able to be good parents. There is one more thing on the list that I can't remember right now. And lastly, but maybe most important of all, Todd has a few more classes to take STILL!!! He was supposed to take them in July but they got cancelled because not enough people signed up for them. The next set of classes aren't offered again until October, however, we don't want to wait that long since we will be finished with everything else long before that. So CCHO has agreed to do the classes one on one with Todd so we can get things finished up and turned into the State of Ohio. Then all we have to do is wait for our license to come in the mail!!

Here is some big news...a few months ago when first started this process, we heard about these two little girls that were available for adoption. They are with a foster family now, but the family wants to foster other kids so they don't want to adopt. We didn't really think much of it because we were just getting started. Well, they are still available! They are sisters, ages 5 years old and about 6 or 7 months old. Best of all, they have red hair and the 5 year old has glasses! :) We are hoping to adopt these little ones. Once we get our license, we will start going through the matching process to make sure they are a good fit for our home and that they are going to adjust well with us. So far, I have surprised myself. I'm very chill about the whole thing, even though it is exciting to think about the possibility of an instant family. If they are still available when we are done with our licensing, then great! Hopefully we will be a good fit for them. However, if they have already been placed with an adopting family or if we aren't a match, then obviously God has different children that will be a better fit for us.

Well, that's it for this time! Hopefully sometime in September we will be back on to tell you that we are licensed!!!

Until then, continued prayers are always greatly apprectiated!!!

Megan