Oz to the US, where to start?

[5*Helms 0]

Hi there, I'm unsure if I'm posting this in the correct place, I'm sorry if I'm not. I need some information, and after spending the last 4 hours browsing I haven't found anything that answers my questions. In some of the posts there are things like NOA and such written and I have no idea what any of it means, so please go easy on me lol

My husband is a US Citizen by birth and permanent resident of Australia, we live in Australia (I am a born Australian) and have been married 7 years with two children together, I also have a 16 year old daughter from a previous marriage.

We have an appointment in Sydney at the US Consulate office for our 1 year old sons's report of birth abroad, US passport, and SSN. We are also applying for our 5 year old daughter's US Passport at that interview/appointment which is actually her 6th Birthday!!! This will make My husband of course, and our two children all legal US citizens leaving myself, and my daughter.

We'd like to start things in motion for myself and my daughter to become Permanent Residents of the US, where do we start, what do we do and how much is this going to cost? Lastly, the most important question of all, how long will this take?

We would like to sell our house here, and go back to the US to live, and we would like to leave Australia around/before Christmas 2011, is this realistic?

Thanks for getting this far and thanks so MUCH if you have any info that might help us.

Nic