Home Study Complete!!!

It's done! It's done! It's done! Yay!
We are SO thrilled to be at this point in the adoption process. There is a lot of work that goes into the process up to this point and we are so relieved to reach this level!
We have filled out questionnaire after questionnaire and told story after story and collected picture after picture and we are here! Even though it was a lot of work and somewhat tedious, it was also a neat experience. With some of the things the profile required, it really caused us to reflect a lot. We talked a lot about our favorite childhood memories, what made us happy, what we find is most important to raise a successful family, how we will discipline our children, etc. It was fun to carry on these conversations and remember how blessed we are to have been raised the way we were.
Anyway, the actual home study happened by tender mercy after tender mercy. After finding out Monday that our home study would be Wednesday, I got a little overwhelmed. Our house was clean, but I had one room that was in dire need of organization and I had just put it on the back burner. It had become my: I'll deal with it later room, and later never came. Now I had no choice, but I didn't know how I was going to get that room in order and get the house really clean the next day. Then, I knew who to call, the woman who saved the day/my life: Miss Danielle Tamang! She seriously made it all happen. When I hesitantly asked for her her help, she eagerly replied with a yes and was at my house by 8:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. We spent five hours working hard, cleaning, organizing, and finally had it all done, with a few minor details for me to do on my own. With as crazy busy as I was, there is no way I could have done it all. I seriously don't know what I would have done without her help. She is seriously the greatest and I am so grateful for her willingness to help in our time of need.
Brad spent some time Tuesday night doing some things I needed him to do. The next morning we put on all our child safety locks, outlet covers, and made sure everything was where it needed to be.
Our house was perfectly ready, spic and span, just in time for our 10:00 a.m. home study. 
We passed with just a few things needing to be moved around and now we can breath a sigh of relief. At this point in the process, our caseworker puts together and 8-10 page write up of us as a couple, our background, and our home. After she is done, she presents it to her supervisor and an approval board. Once it is approved we will be published!!! The average time for this completion is 4-6 weeks. Shannon, our case worker is hoping to get it done closer to 4 weeks. We are so grateful for her and her willingness to share our eagerness. Once we are published, we just wait and pray real hard :) 
We are so grateful to have come this far and can hardly believe we are at this point! Again, thank you to everyone that has helped make this happen - whether it has been through physically helping, offering support, keeping us in your prayers, etc. - it has all been most helpful and has not gone unnoticed :)

we celebrated that night watching Iron Man, eating air-popped popcorn and a yummy treat
It was so nice to relax and not feel guilty about it :)