biking in pj's

True happiness is biking in your pj's.

MS150

We finished the MS150What a bike ride. The bike ride from Houston to La Grange was canceled due to torrential downpours. We biked from La Grange to Austin (80 miles!). In Bastrop, we took the park route. It was beautiful, but the beauty didn't come without pain. The hills were challenging, to say the least. Once we were out of the park, the 15 mph winds proved to be even more challenging. Marc and I raised more than $2,000 for Multiple Sclerosis research. Thank you to all our supporters. We are glad we were a part of the experience and a part of the fund raising efforts.
The Finish Line

You seriously wanted to cry for joy when you saw the finish line, and all those people there cheering for you was such an amazing experience. Linda & Paul (Marc's parents), and Alex were there with a big pink sign saying "Ride Mommy and Daddy, Ride!"
Here are some more pictures...
brightroom event photography
brightroom event photography

I-171H will be expiring on 7/21/2009

That's right. Some documents expire after a year and must be renewed. Unfortunately, this document is really many documents. Read below if you really want to know (and by photo-copies, they don't mean copies of what they already have on file. They mean validated and freshly dated ones from each government agency)...

...submit all of the following information to you USCIS office prior to your I-171H/I-797C expiring.

- I-600a application

- a photocopy of the original home study

- a notarized copy of an updated home study (please let me know when you are ready to update your home study and I will have an updated home study contract sent to you via email from Trisha Morrison. Once we receive this contract back from you, your social worker will contact you to schedule a time to complete your updated home study - please note that your updated home study may require that you obtain additional documentation such as an updated doctor's note, updated employment letters, floor plan and pictures of your home, ect. Please check with your social worker to see what documentation is required).

- photocopies of a photo id for yourself and your spouse

- photocopies of yours and your spouses birth certificates

- photocopy of your marriage certificate (if applicable)

- photocopies of any divorce decrees (if applicable)

- a photocopy of your current I-171H/I-797C

- a letter requesting the free extension and fingerprinting appointment. You will find a sample form letter for this request attached with this email.

- a written statement, signed under penalty, attesting that a form I-600 has not been filed on this I-600a application. You will find a sample form letter for this statement attached with this email

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Papa don't preach. Yes, of course we will get it done....AGAIN. Did you know that most of your documents "expire" after a year like your marriage document? Yup, you need new decrees of authenticity when adopting. Getting the first home study involved a group meet at our house, individual meetings outside of our house, and another group meet. I suppose we will have to do all that again. I'm not sure. I must remain vigilant and patient. Grrrr.

Happy Easter

Here are some Easter pictures and some pictures from Nutty Brown Cafe. Alex has Sam the Lion for the weekend from his class at school. Our assignment was to document Sam's adventures with us.

Getting a hug from his buddy, James
These eggs are pretty easy to find!

The Austin Zoo

Malia - Alex will have so much to teach you when you get here. As you can see, he knows all about feeding the animals at the Austin zoo. We can't wait to share these experiences with you.