The Adventures of Twiggy Bear: Thanksgiving

Last week we all drove to Grammy and PawPaw's house in Northern California.  It was a bit of an adventure since our van decided to quit the night before we left.  Thankfully we were able to borrow a van and the trip went on as planned.  Mama B told me that they rotate which holiday they drive to CA for and this year it was Thanksgiving.  Grammy called it "Thanksmas" since we opened Christmas presents the same day as we celebrated Thanksgiving.

Grammy surprised Mama B with a scrapbook of Twiggy Four's photos.  Photos, you ask?!  Yes, Mama has been a squeaky wheel lately and was able to get some photos of Twiggy Four.  Sorry, but we can't post them online.  Mama would be more than happy to email them if asked.  He is adorable!

Along with the photos came some background information on Twiggy Four as well as his status as a favorite in his ward.  Everyone keeps saying how sweet he is and he's worth waiting for.

So, what is the status of the adoption?  Like I said, Mama has been a squeaky wheel and is hoping to hear something REALLY soon.  She has made contact with a couple of gals in the orphanage who are doing all they can to find out the status of his file.  Everything is slowed down right now because of the flooding.  Mama is praying specifically that we'll hear an update by Christmas...of THIS year!  She prayed the same prayer last year and God answered "no".  She's really hoping He'll say "yes" this year.  It's been a very difficult wait, but Mama can see God working and wouldn't change it.  She had an really neat experience in October that she wouldn't have had if God had said "yes" last Christmas.  So please pray with us that God would move in a mighty way and get Twiggy Four home in 2012!

Thank you for praying for the fingerprint problem to resolve.  Mama was able to schedule their updated fingerprinting to be done after her trip overseas.  Since they had already filed to update their immigration paperwork, it didn't matter if the old fingerprints expired.  Mr. Branch and Mama had a nice date on Nov. 1 driving an hour each way for a 10 minute appointment.

Adventures of Twiggy Bear: Camping

Well, Mama B. has been really, really bad about updating the blog.

My last big adventure for the summer was camping.

And here is the big green boat...

And my siblings and their friends...

Mama is homeschooling all three Twigs this year so she has been busy writing learning plans and getting organized.  She also got invited to join the mission team to Twiggy Four's country again this year.  She wasn't going to go because she thought they would be getting him soon, but since that hasn't happened she is able to go on the trip.  She leaves in 2 1/2 weeks.  Oh, and she's organizing a children's outreach event at church that is one week after she gets home.  She's nuts!

The files the adoption agency has been waiting for have still not arrived so there's no news to tell.  Mama is very frustrated.

Twiggy Four's immigration paperwork expires next week so Mr. Branch and Mama have to drive up to Yakima to get their fingerprints re-done.  Mama doesn't understand that one.  She says her fingerprints haven't changed!  You could pray that that all works out because the appointment they were given is in October which is after the expiration date (besides Mama will be overseas).  Mama has to make phone calls tomorrow to ask if they can "walk-in" ASAP.  It would not be good for the paperwork to expire.

Oops

I was wrong.  It's not referrals that are expected next week.  Referrals are where the overseas adoption board matches a family with a child.  What is coming next week is a batch of files that overseas is asking the agency to find families for.  When we placed our request to be matched with Twiggy Four last June his file was not complete yet.  So at this point, that is what we're hoping for.  A completed file that then our agency will tell overseas that they have a family for.  The overseas adoption board will then consider the match.  That process is known to take several months.  Once a match is approved it's another 4-6 months before travel.

The agency did ask me this morning if Twiggy Four's file is not amongst the ones they receive next week if we wanted to consider another child that is paperwork ready.  I'm not ready to go there yet.  Please pray that God will make it abundantly clear His will for our family.

Adoption update

I just received an email from our adoption agency and they did not come home from overseas with any specific information on Twiggy Four.  But they did find out that they should receive referrals for some waiting children next week.  Please pray that our boy's referral is one of them!!!

Twiggy Bear says he's off on another new adventure this weekend.  Just maybe it'll be his last one before traveling overseas to Twiggy Four!!!

The Adventures of Twiggy Bear: Who Knew?

O.K. I thought you all were my friends!  But you've been holding out on me.  You didn't tell me my parents own a boat!!!  Last week Mama B kept talking about Mr. Branch getting "the boat" ready to "take out" now that hot weather has finally arrived.  So Saturday the whole house was full of excitement as Mr. Branch "hooked up" and got gas.  The rest of us packed up food, water and sunscreen then headed outside.  Lo and behold, there was a boat in our driveway!  Now I know what they've been talking about.  I had seen a big, old green thing next to our house but I didn't know what it was.  Boy, did we have fun on that old boat.  The big Twigs and even Mr. Branch rode behind it in what they called a "tube".  They bounced and laughed for two hours.  Mama kept telling me to look at the big airplanes in the sky.  They were doing a show for the big boat races that were going on.  I can't wait until I'm grown up and can ride in the tube.

Twiggy Two started a new gymnastics program last night.  She is in the TOPS program which gets girls ready for team competition.  She really liked it and it probably won't be long before she moves up.  Mama B says she can already do all the stuff the other girls are working on.  Good for Twiggy Two!!!

Mama is waiting for an email from our agency.  They said they would be back in the office today.  She's trying hard to wait until at least tomorrow before sending an email asking for news.  I keep telling her that it takes time for people to get over jet lag and to organize any info they might have received.  She says she knows that but it doesn't help.  She'd like to just go help them organize!  After all, that's what she's good at.   Silly Mama!

The Adventures of Twiggy Bear: Puzzle Finished/Orphanage Project

It's finished!!!

Twiggy One and Mama began working on our orphanage project tonight.  In the contract with the adoption agency, Mama B and Mr. Branch agreed to do some sort of service project for Twiggy Four's orphanage.  His orphanage has mostly kids with cerebral palsy and many of them can't feed themselves.  Mama figures that must get pretty messy so she decided to make bibs from hand towels.  She loved those when we Twigs were little!  

Here I am wearing the first finished product.  You can't tell from the picture, but the cheap towels Mama bought frayed around the neck ribbing so she's going to have to look for different towels.

Here are 36 neck ribbings waiting to get attached to towels.

Mama sure is anxious for next week when the adoption agency representative should be home!

The Adventures of Twiggy Bear: Silverwood Theme Park

Two things before I tell you about Silverwood.  First, Mama B changed her mind last Saturday about the SUPER fun activity and didn't take us to the World's Largest Pillow Fight.  Actually, it didn't break the world record so we didn't miss much.  Mama B was sad to hear the organizers didn't ask the city ahead of time and they kind of stole the show from a scheduled wedding.  Boo on them!

Second thing, here's a puzzle update.  Almost done!

And now, about Silverwood.  The big Twigs earned free tickets doing a reading program at school and I got in free because I rode in Mama's bag.  The big Twigs had lots of fun showing me all their favorite things.  The MOST favorite was getting the really big scoops of ice cream.  We only got kiddie scoops and look at the size of them!

Twiggy Three got really brave this year and tried all kinds of new rides.  He spun, he went up and down, and went crazy driving the Krazy Kars.  He was a great big brother and took me on the airplane ride.

Twiggy Two took me on the carousel at the end of the day.

Mama B took a long nap today and had a dream that we got Twiggy Four's referral.  She was sad to wake up and realize it was a dream.  She told me the adoption agency is in Twiggy Four's country right now so she's really hoping to get an update soon.  As soon as we get the referral, Mama B says she will mail me to him so he can hold me until she gets there.  I will miss her but I know I'll see her again soon.  It's an important job she's given me and I'll do my best.

Click Here to read the post introducing Twiggy Bear.