Social Security Office

So, as most of you know, the kidlets need a s.s. number for us to get the tax refund. (They can also get some type of tax number if their s.s. number isn't ready) And seeing as we live near a giant metro area, I knew that this was going to take a looong time at the office and there was no way I was going to do it on my own with 4 of my 5 kids. So last Friday Chris took some time off and came with me.

I don't know why it seems to be a rule in our state but apparently all federal offices must be in a scary part of the neighborhood. Awesome.

By the time we got to the office about 1 1/2 hours after it opened, there were 40 people ahead of us. We haul our 4 kids past everyone sitting down trying to find a spot for all of us, and in the mean time I am thinking that Moyz is going to run up to every black person there and asked to be picked up. Can't you see the attachment fears in me kicking in? I actually really loved the environment because we were just about the only white people there and my kids don't get to be around people who look like them or closer to them like Hispanics very often, so I was excited for that. every time we see a black family it is interesting to see how the kids respond, because they definitely seem to pay more attention to them than any white families they see.

Anyway, I was kind of nervous about it though. And I have to say my kids did amazing. It was so exciting to see! They would walk around and chat with people or look at their phones if they were holding them, and they would always come back to us. They never once asked someone to pick them up or cling to their legs as Moyz had been prone to do before. It was just another one of those reaffirming moments where we knew that things really are going well with our kids. I loved it!

Of course, in the process we learned that they still aren't actually citizens, which is how I filled out the paperwork. I assumed that the readoption is what actually clinched the "citizen" title for them. Wrong. The social security office said that their status won't change to citizen at immigration until we get either a passport or cert. of citizenship. We knew that we needed to get those items, but not that the process solidified their citizenship. Interesting. Oh well, we still were able to get numbers for them, although it could take up to 4 weeks to get so if anyone needs to still get theirs before taxes you might want to hurry.

And speaking of taxes, if anyone would be willing to share in the comments what they turned in to the government as far as proving the adoption (decree, readoption stuff etc.) as well as receipts and all that jazz, I would really appreciate it. Especially if you didn't get audited last year! I would so totally love to not get audited!