PA received!

We received our 'PROVISIONAL APPROVAL" today! We can check another box off the list of forms in the long line of forms so far accumulated towards the day we finally travel to pick up Eli.

We are getting Jack and Eli's room ready, these are the quilts in progress.  The tops are peiced together, they are almost ready for the Mega Quilter!

We went to a Youth For Understanding orentation for Exchange Students yesterday.  We have an exchange student this year from Switzwerland.  At the orentation were high school kids from all over the world who are living with West Michigan families for the school year.  I knew a boy named Jon who was here from China and asked a little favor of him.  He was so kind to help us out and he translated a quick letter to Eli for us!  This will be the last package we send to him before we go to China.  We told him his American name. We told him we are excited to come, and that we imagine he is nervous.  We wanted him to know he would be arriving in the summer and not going to school for a month or so. We also told him who will be coming to China with us to bring him home.  We have some items in the box for him to share with his foster family and school mates.  Some Girl Scout cookies, some bubbles, and some candy.  We also put a disposble camera so he can take some pictures of his friends before he has to say good bye. We imagine that this is going to be so much harder on him than us.

Preparing for our Trip to China

Although it has been a year long process to bring Eli home, it seems everyday some time is spent preparing for his arrival.  Some days were spent been painting his room.  Some were spent making a quilt for the beds. Last night it was filling out our Visa applications.

Today we purchsed some of the customary small gifts that will be given to various people when we travel to China.  The Orphanage director, the nannies, the foster family, notary officials, and registration officials.  We have done this twice before, we know now, they will be given to these people by someone other than ourselves, and often with other small gifts from other adoptive parents.  There is no gift that will convey our appreciation for careing for Eli for 12 years, other than us taking it from here, and doing the best we can to give him a family, a chance, hope.  So we looked at the list of preferred gifts, picked up  some that fit the description, and know it is not about how much we appreciate them, but about showing respect to a cultural custom.

We also purchased a few things to send to Eli.  Disposable camera's, bubbles, and we will put in a few pictures of our home and family.  This will probably be the last package we send to him!

Tamara, Jan Erik and Dominik

Our Exchange Students, Tamara from Switzerland, Jan Erik from Norway (he had our house number tatoo'd to his chest!) and Dominik (Tamara's brother) from Switzerland.

Seth, Grant and Jack

Our Son's Grant, 15, Seth 19, and Jack 13.

Hillary and Lian

Our beautiful daughters, Hillary is 20, Lian is 10.

Boyd and Teresa

This is us!  We are at the Wheatland Music Festival.  We love to join our family and friends at this festival in Remus Michigan the weekend after Labor Day every year.

We decided to start this blog before our trip to China to adopt our newest son, Eli Harrison Colbry.  So family can follow along as we make the journey to bring him home.  We'll post pictures of everybody as I learn how to Blog.

It's been a long process, adoption always seems to take longer than we want it too.  We are hoping to travel in June.  Eli is living in Wuhan China.  We are excited, and we'll admit a little nervous to bring him home.  He is 12 years old, he's waited long enough.

Here he is on his 11th birthday, Feb 1st was his 12th birthday.